An overview of EGALE’s activities

Updated: February 7, 1999

EGALE was founded in 1986 to advance equality for Canadian lesbians, gays and bisexuals, primarily at the federal level. Our work is comprised of three equal components: political action, legal interventions and public education. Some of our achievements in each of these three areas include:

Political Action

• Bill C-41 (Hate crimes): EGALE testified before the House of Commons Justice Committee and successfully lobbied the Government to introduce more severe penalties for those convicted of gay-bashing and other hate crimes;

• Bill C-33 (Human rights protection): EGALE successfully lobbied the federal Government to add “sexual orientation” to the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect lesbians, gays and bisexuals from discrimination;

• Immigration: EGALE has testified in national immigration consultations in support of equal immigration rights for those in same-sex relationships, and is currently working with the organization LEGIT to advance equal immigration rights for gays and lesbians;

• Census: EGALE participated in public consultations to protest the exclusion of same-sex families from the last Canadian census, and is lobbying Statistics Canada to ensure that the 2001 Census does not exclude same-sex couples;

• Federal employee benefits: EGALE has supported union activities and lobbied the federal government in support of equal employment benefits to those in same-sex relationships;

• Regional support: EGALE has also lent its support to a number of provincial and territorial initiatives, including:

• supporting measures to add “sexual orientation” to the human rights legislation of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland;

• participation in consultations to review the family law legislation of the Northwest Territories;

• supporting provincial efforts to advance omnibus relationship legislation in Ontario (Bill 167);

• supporting community efforts to prevent Alberta invoking the “notwithstanding” clause of the Charter of Rights to deny lesbians and gays equality following the Vriend decision;

• submitting a brief in support of measures to protect transgendered people from discrimination in British Columbia’s human rights legislation.

Legal Interventions

• Egan v. Canada: EGALE intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada to challenge the “opposite sex” definition of “spouse” in the Old Age Security Act. The Court agreed that the “opposite sex” definition of “spouse” is discriminatory, but ruled that the government would be allowed time to bring its laws into conformity with the Charter of Rights.

• CUPE & Rosenberg v. Canada: EGALE coordinated a coalition of 13 different equality groups to appear before the Ontario Court of Appeal in CUPE & Rosenberg v. Canada in support of same-sex pension benefits, and successfully lobbied the federal government not to appeal the decision;

• Mossop v. Canada: EGALE coordinated a coalition of equality-seeking groups to intervene before the Supreme Court of Canada in support of equal funeral leave for same-sex families.

• Vriend v. Alberta: EGALE successfully intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada in Vriend v. Alberta to support legal protection from discrimination for lesbians, gays and bisexuals in Alberta;

• Hill & Brewer v. Mayor Woodside: EGALE successfully intervened before a Fredericton Board of Inquiry to support efforts to have Lesbian and Gay Pride Week officially proclaimed;

• Akerstrom & Moore v. Treasury Board: EGALE’s Executive Director was called as a witness by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in support of equal employment benefits for gays and lesbians in the public service;

• Laessoe v. Air Canada: EGALE’s Vice-President was called as a witness in support of the efforts of the Canadian Auto Workers’ Union to secure equal pension benefits for same-sex couples;

• Re Hurley: EGALE intervened before the Ontario Court of Appeal to oppose the extradition of a Canadian gay man to Mexico when it appeared he was unlikely to receive a fair trial due to systemic homophobia;

• M & H v. Ontario: EGALE intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada in M & H v. Ontario, a challenge to the “opposite-sex” definition of “spouse” in Ontario’s Family Law Act. A decision from the Supreme Court is pending.

Public education

• Judicial Education: EGALE has participated in a series of judicial education workshops, discussing lesbian and gay equality issues with Ontario Court judges;

• Broadcasting: EGALE testified before the CRTC in support of diversity in Canada’s broadcasting policy, and to oppose the limitation of access to lesbian and gay materials on the Internet through restrictive regulations;

• Community and public outreach: EGALE representatives regularly give presentations to community organizations, unions and other groups, attend conferences and participate in media activities to promote public understanding of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues. EGALE is on an Advisory Committee to the Foundation for Equal Families omnibus legal challenge and an Advisory Board for the “Safe Spaces Project”—a national initiative to help create safe spaces for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth;

• International Conferences: EGALE has participated in a number of conferences to advance international understanding of lesbian and gay human rights, including presenting to the plenary session of the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, participating in the World Conference on Women in Beijing, and speaking at the International Year of the Family Conference in Montreal;

• Pride activities: EGALE develops an annual Pride kit, with information about Pride events across the country and suggestions on how to overcome obstacles in obtaining Pride proclamations;

• Regional Development: EGALE has developed a nation-wide network of members in every province and territory of Canada, and is now represented by a Board of Directors comprising talented individuals from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island;

• Communications: EGALE develops Fact Sheets on current issues affecting the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, and maintains a Website (www.egale.ca) and two e-mail discussion groups to help keep our communities informed across the country.

Egale Canada ©2011

Canada's LGBT human rights organization: advancing equality, diversity, education, and justice.