Another step in the right direction, but when will a real concerted pan-Canadian action plan be implemented? Fondation Jasmin Roy applauds Justin Trudeau's initiative to offer a formal apology to LGBT communities

MONTREAL, Nov. 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - In light of Justin Trudeau's recent commitment to apologize to the LGBT community, Fondation Jasmin Roy enthusiastically applauds his undertaking and reiterates its full support of LGBT communities.

On Twitter earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced his intention to apologize to Canadian public servants and soldiers who have been humiliated because of their sexual orientation.

"Justin Trudeau's initiative is another step in the right direction and encourages very constructive discussions," says Jasmin Roy, founder of the Fondation Jasmin Roy. We want to congratulate the Prime Minister of Canada for his willingness and interest to move toward an equal and inclusive society, a cause we've defended since the inception of our organization."

Between January 23, 2017, and June 12, 2017, Fondation Jasmin Roy conducted a major nationwide survey to draw the first historical portrait of the values and needs of LGBT communities in Canada. The study revealed that 13% of the Canadian population belongs to the LGBT community. However, it also showed that 54% of LGBT respondents hadn't "come out" to their co-workers, and 45% to their schoolmates, because they feared being rejected, hindered in their careers, mocked or intimidated.

Worse yet, 75% said they had been bullied, threatened or the targets of verbal abuse. That makes 3.4 million people in distress across Canada!

Moreover, 81% of LGBT respondents said that Canadian society is willing to make efforts to integrate people from LGBT communities and 73% of Canadians strongly or somewhat agreed that much still remains to be done to curtail homophobic behaviour and intimidation toward the LGBT community.

While Canada's future is inextricably linked to immigration, we now know that those born outside Canada are less likely to be in contact with sexual diversity and are generally a little less open in this respect than individuals born in Canada. How do the governments propose to tackle this issue? What are the governments' strategies to ensure ethno-cultural families are better educated to support their children in their sexual orientation and gender identity?

"It's obvious that more work needs to be done. Beyond an apology, government must take concrete steps to change social paradigms and end the discrimination, intimidation and even the violence experienced by the LGBT communities, once and for all. In the wake of the August 9 publication of the pan-Canadian survey's results, we're still waiting for the federal government's concerted action plan to fight intimidation of the LGBT community and are ready to play an active part in it. Knowing that 3.4 million people say they've been the target of threats or offensive comments because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, it's time to take concrete action," says Jasmin Roy.

Fondation Jasmin Roy
The mission of Fondation Jasmin Roy is to fight discrimination, bullying and violence against primary and secondary school children. Its goal is to ensure a healthy and safe environment for students by supporting them and organizing various initiatives aimed at better intervention toward victims and bullies. Fondation Jasmin Roy's mandate is to contribute to the search for long-term solutions to bullying in schools by lobbying government and working with the various stakeholders concerned, particularly the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports, the school communities and civil society. The Foundation is also committed to tackling the issue of school drop-outs due to bullying and raising the awareness of the population at large.

SOURCE Fondation Jasmin Roy