Global Equality Caucus meets in Canada to discuss LGBT+ parliamentary co-operation
Representatives from the Global Equality Caucus have visited Ottawa to meet with members of the Parliament of Canada and discuss ways to increase parliamentary co-operation on LGBT+ issues.
Caucus Chair Nick Herbert, Caucus Director Alan Wardle, Caucus member Boris Dittrich (NL), and associate member Randy Boissonnault (CA) visited Parliament Hill last week (24-26 February) for a series of roundtables with Canadian parliamentarians, civil society representatives and foreign dignitaries. The trip was made possible through partnership with the Dignity Network, a group of organisations across Canada that support global LGBT+ rights.
Nick Herbert, Alan Wardle and Senator Boris Dittrich meet with Conservative MPs on Parliament Hill to discuss the benefits of bi-partisan collaboration on LGBT+ rights.
The delegation joined a meeting of Conservative MPs hosted by Raquel Dancho, the Shadow Minister for Diversity, Inclusion & Youth, and Eric Duncan, the first openly-gay Conservative MP to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons. Attendees discussed the importance of bi-partisan co-operation to address LGBT+ challenges both in Canada and globally.
Caucus members attend a reception with Rob Oliphant and other Liberal MPs.
Caucus members with René Cormier and members of the Canadian Senate.
(L-R) Senator Boris Dittrich, Nick Herbert and Alan Wardle on Parliament Hill.
The Caucus also met with Canadian senators at a roundtable hosted by Senator René Cormier, before attending a reception with Liberal MPs including Caucus founder member Rob Oliphant, who hosted the event, and Bardish Chagger, the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion & Youth. Members of the Caucus were able to share their experiences of cross-party work on LGBT+ rights and the benefits of national parliamentary caucuses, including Senator Dittrich’s human rights advocacy and Nick Herbert’s work with the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on LGBT+ Rights.
There was also an opportunity to meet with Jim Watson, the openly-gay Mayor of Ottawa, to discuss the role municipalities and cities can play in promoting equal rights for LGBT+ people. The visiting delegation also met with Caucus founder member Randall Garrison to talk about the Caucus’s priorities for the region.
The trip was rounded off with a meeting with civil society representatives from Global Affairs Canada and ambassadors from partner countries in the Equal Rights Coalition, where attendees spoke about LGBT+ rights in foreign policy and the upcoming ERC conference.
The ERC conference is due to be held in London in May, and will be part of a wider conference on LGBT+ rights hosted by the UK Government in collaboration with the Global Equality Caucus.
The Caucus would like to thank both the UK High Commission in Canada and the Dutch Embassy in Canada for their support in making the programme a success, as well as the Dignity Network for making the trip possible.