How federal candidates say they’d support LGBTQ2 Canadians if elected

Candidates from all major parties appeared at a town hall on queer and trans issues in Toronto

In one of few opportunities this election campaign, LGBTQ2 voters had the chance on Tuesday night to hear federal candidates answer questions specifically about their communities. Rob Oliphant of the Liberal Party (Don Valley West), Nicki Ward of the Green Party (York South–Weston), Ryan Lester of the Conservative Party (Toronto Centre) and Brian Chang of the NDP (Toronto Centre) took the stage at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre to debate LGBTQ2 issues—from the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure laws to better supports for queer refugees to healthcare for trans folks.

The Toronto town hall, organized by the Dignity Network and sponsored by Xtra, was one in a series of events across the country this month highlighting queer and trans issues ahead of Canada’s 43rd election.

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Power, Politics, News

Keep Reading

Trans issues didn’t doom the Democrats

OPINION: The Republicans won ending on a giant anti-trans note, but Democrats ultimately failed to communicate on class

Xtra Explains: Trans girls and sports

Debunking some of the biggest myths around trans girls and fairness in sports

How ‘mature minor’ laws let trans kids make their own decisions

Canadian law lets some youth make medical or legal decisions for themselves, but how does it work?

To combat transphobia, we need to engage with the people who spread it

OPINION: opening up a dialogue with those we disagree with is key if we want to achieve widespread social change