Come one, come all.

I was not only troubled but also astonished when I read an article in The Canadian Press which read  “Citizenship and immigration Minister Jason Kenney has removed any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship” (Beeby,2010,p.1).  That is to say, the 63 page guide contains absolutely no information on gay and lesbian rights. This is quite upsetting for the reason that if we were to compare Canada to other countries there has been a remarkable amount of change given to the rights of the LGBTTQ* throughout the past few decades. Wouldn’t immigrants and refugees like to know this information prior to entering our country?

The Canadian press had learned that the earliest draft of the guide indicated under the section Towards a Modern Canada. "Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 and more recently, civil marriage rights to same-sex couples was legalized nationwide in 2005," And in the piece on citizenship rights, the initial draft said: "Equality Rights - Canadians are protected against discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or age" (Beeby,2010,p.1). However neither one of these sentences were published.

Now let’s talk about Jason Kenney for a moment, the man at fault for removing all information referencing gay rights from the study guide. Following the Conservative victory in the 2006, on January 4, 2007, Kenny was sworn in as the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, and has held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism since October 30, 2008. (Prime Minister of Canada [Pm], 2011)

Being a member of the Conservative government, it comes as no surprise that Minister Kenney opposes same-sex relationships. In fact he has, “insistently opposed same-sex marriage since his time as an opposition MP in the House of Commons” The Globe and Mail (2010). In my opinion, the fact that Kenney firmly opposes homosexuality proves that he purposely removed all information regarding gay rights from the study guide. This makes me wonder why he holds the post of Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

Although due to Kenney’s actions, immigrants and refugees migrating to Canada will have no knowledge of the gay rights they are entitled to, it is nice to know that  immigration regulations came into effect on June 28,2002 allowing  the sponsorship of same-sex partners into Canada. At the present, ,members of the LGBTTQ* community are formally able to sponsor their partners, in other words,  Canada and many other countries gladly extend immigration rights to prospective gay and lesbian immigrants. (LaViolette,2004)

I am grateful to learn that all members of the LGBTTQ* are able to immigrate to Canada; however it upsets me that the Minister of Immigration is homophobic. I am certain that many same-sex couples move to Canada to enjoy improved civil rights, benefits, and the protection of a tolerant society. However in my opinion it makes absolutely no sense that the man administering immigration affairs is against homosexuality; he has already removed all references to gay rights from the study guide, what will he do next?

-Brigitte Tetrault

References

Beeby, D. (2010, March 3). Kenney denies removing gay reference - Canada - CBC News. CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/03/kenney-gay-guide003.html

LaViolette, N. (2004). Coming Out to Canada: The Immigration of. McGill Law Journal, 49, 970-1002.

Rayside, D. M., & Wilcox, C. (2011). A twenty year survey of Canadian attitudes towards homosexuality and gay rights . Faith, politics, and sexual diversity in Canada and the United States (p. 49). Vancouver: Ubc Press.

The Honourable Jason Kenney - Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism - Prime Minister of Canada. (n.d.). Prime Minister of Canada / Premier ministre du Canada. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from http://pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=77

Canada passes bill to legalize gay marriage - The New York Times. (2005, June 29). NY Times Advertisement. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/world/americas/29iht-web.0629canada.html