With the adoption of Bill 1 yesterday, the Northwest Territories has:
created a Human Rights Commission;
prohibited discrimination on a number of grounds, including sexual orientation; and
become the first jurisdiction in Canada to prohibit discrimination on the ground of gender identity, which provides transgendered people with explicit protection from discrimination.
“We are very proud that the Northwest Territories is leading the way in protecting the rights of transgendered people,” said Zoe Raemer, spokesperson for OutNorth. “Together with the recent extension of adoption rights to same-sex couples, this legislation shows that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities are full partners in northern society, with the same rights and protections as other provinces and the Yukon.”
“With the adoption of Bill 1, discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals is now prohibited in every province and territory of Canada except Nunavut, which is also considering enacting human rights legislation,” added John Fisher, Executive Director of Egale.
“Bill 1 also represents a historic step towards equality for transgendered people.Both the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the B.C. Human Rights Commission have recommended that discrimination on the ground of gender identity be prohibited, but the Northwest Territories is the first jurisdiction in Canada to do so. The inclusion of this ground sends a message loud and clear: discrimination against transgendered people is just plain wrong, and must end. Hopefully, this initiative by the Northwest Territories will encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit, to ensure that transgendered people across Canada enjoy basic human rights protection.”