by STEPHEN BROWN

Justin Trudeau’s government has proven itself to be a better ally to LGBTI communities than any previous one. It took many steps during its first mandate to affirm the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Canada and abroad. Now, as the Liberal government begins its second term, it is poised to take additional positive steps for LGBTI Canadians. However, it seems to be losing interest in protecting the rights of LGBTI people in other countries, despite the desperate need for such support.

The prime minister’s mandate letters to cabinet ministers provide the best indication of the government’s agenda as it gets back to work this month. Trudeau has assigned most LGBTI-related tasks to the minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, Bardish Chagger. Funding for LGBTI groups is also mentioned in passing in the mandate letter of Maryam Monsef, minister for Women and Gender Equality.

Those provisions, as positive as they may be, all focus on LGBTI rights in Canada. The international dimension, however, is nowhere to be found. In particular, there is no mention of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or LGBTI concerns in the mandate letters of the minister of Foreign Affairs, the minister of International Development, or the minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Read more via Ottawa Citizen