November 30, 2010                                                                                    OPEN LETTER

The Hon. Vic Toews, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you in regard to your recent decision to halt funding for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) for transsexual inmates of federal institutions.

The determination of whether SRS is a medically necessary service cannot be made through a blanket provision. Rather, such a determination must be made on an individual basis by a qualified medical professional, as ruled by both the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court of Canada, in 2001 and 2003 respectively. The CHRT clearly ordered that a blanket prohibition on access to SRS for inmates was discriminatory on the basis of both sex and disability, and that the Correctional Service of Canada must provide access and financial coverage where such services are deemed essential. As such, I strongly urge you to reconsider the cessation of funding, and immediately reinstate access to SRS, a medical service that can indeed be critical both to the rehabilitation process and the daily lives of many transsexual people.

I look forward to your swift response and resolution of this issue.

Sincerely,

Helen Kennedy
Executive Director
Egale Canada

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