麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Liberals pledge $1.7M for persecuted LGBTQ2S+ people abroad

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a Pride flag raising event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a Pride flag raising event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
Share
OTTAWA -

The federal government has announced it will give $1.7 million to groups supporting gender and sexual minorities abroad.

That follows activists' criticisms that Ottawa is too slow to follow through with its funding promises, and that it should be more forceful in responding to anti-gay legislation in some countries.

Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld made the announcement at a conference of the Dignity Network, a coalition of Canadian groups that support LGBTQ2S+ people abroad.

Activists from around the world who are attending the conference are praising the move to help protect vulnerable people, but they're also asking why it has taken so long.

Global Affairs Canada says the COVID-19 pandemic and a lengthy consultation process has delayed funding for LGBTQ2S+ groups, but the department says it plans to ramp up spending.

Activists are also urging Canada to call out homophobic legislation in Uganda and Ghana, saying sustained pressure is needed to prevent a further rollback of human rights.

The funding includes $1 million for a project led by the U.S. aid department to research how groups in multiple countries can undercut stigma and also respond to crises.

The rest of the funding is for Toronto-based Rainbow Railroad to examine the forced displacement of gender and sexual minorities worldwide, by helping governments understand the perspectives of those fleeing to safety.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.

Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds

If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought 鈥 such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected