Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced federal legislation that would expand hate speech laws to include gender identity and gender expression.
If passed, the legislation would also make it illegal to prevent an individual from getting a job or to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of gender identity or gender expression.
Mr. Trudeau, the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, introduced the bill Tuesday marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. He said the proposed law would “help ensure transgender and other gender-diverse people can live according to their gender identity, free from discrimination, and protected from hate propaganda and hate crimes.”
“Everyone deserves to live free of stigma, persecution and discrimination — no matter who they are or whom they love,” Mr. Trudeau said.
“This enactment amends the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination,” a summary of the bill reads, The Blaze reported. “The enactment also amends the Criminal Code to extend the protection against hate propaganda set out in that Act to any section of the public that is distinguished by gender identity or expression and to clearly set out that evidence that an offense was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on gender identity or expression constitutes an aggravating circumstance that a court must take into consideration when it imposes a sentence.”
Similar legislation has previously failed to pass Parliament several times.
Mr. Trudeau’s government has the majority of seats in the House of Commons so his legislation will likely pass there. After that, it will go to the unelected Senate, NBC News reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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