Statement from Egale Canada on the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force’s final report

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Everyone who calls Canada home deserves to feel accepted and free to be themselves in their community, including in the workplace. But for 2SLGBTQI people, this isn’t always the case. 

As noted in the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force’s final report, 30 per cent of transgender women and 22 per cent of transgender men reported that they had  been denied employment due to their gender identity compared with 7 per cent of cisgender women and 4 per cent of cisgender men. 

For years, Egale Canada has been calling for increased protections for 2SLGBTQI people under the Employment Equity Act, and we are pleased to see progress being made with 2SLGBTQI people being added to the list of groups facing systemic workplace barriers under the Employment Equity Act. However, much more remains to be done. In order to properly address this critical issue, more data is needed, particularly with regards to how systemic workplace barriers affect Two Spirit, trans, and nonbinary (2STNB) people.

A forthcoming report by Egale to be released in January found that 72 per cent of 2STNB people surveyed had experienced workplace discrimination. This staggering number shows us that more protections are urgently needed to ensure that workplaces are safe and accepting environments for all employees. 

We look forward to continuing to work with the federal government to address discrimination and foster inclusive workplaces for all 2SLGBTQI people in Canada.

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Representatives from Egale Canada are available for further comment on this matter. To schedule an interview please email: media@egale.ca.