Immigration Minister nixed gay rights in citizenship guide

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney removed references to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, reports the Canadian Press:

Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation; and that same-sex marriage was legalized nationally in 2005.

But Mr Kenney, who fought same-sex marriage when it was debated in Parliament, ordered those key sections removed when his office sent its comments to the department last June. (read the full story at theglobeandmail.com)

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The only mention of queers in the study guide is a small reference to gay Olympian Mark Tewksbury, in the section devoted to sports, arts and culture.

Xtra spoke to queer MPs about Kenney’s decision to remove gay rights from the guide – read our follow-up here.

See the citizenship guide for yourself – download the PDF here.