The Harper government’s decision to eliminate the long-form census questionnaire to be replaced by a voluntary survey that will ultimately cost more than the current system is seen as short sighted by Queer Ontario. For years, queers have been lobbying and working with Statistics Canada to include the gender and sexually diverse in their census and surveys.

Not only will this decision (taken without consultation) abrogate the collection of important data that serves the development and growth of Canada in its business, charitable/nonprofit and public sectors, but seriously disrupt the continuation of ongoing data analysis in longitudinal studies Statistics Canada undertakes.
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Pride Toronto announced on June 23rd that it has passed a resolution to reverse its ban of the phrase “Israeli Apartheid” at all Pride events, which will now be replaced by a policy requiring all participating groups to review and sign the City of Toronto’s Declaration of a Non-Discrimination Policy. In addition, the organization has also proposed to appoint a panel of ‘LGBTTIQQ2SA leaders and friends’ that would oversee the ‘protection’ and ‘advancement’ of the festival’s core values and principles by consulting directly with members of the community. The reversal comes just over a month to the day that Pride Toronto announced it would play censor with the LGBT communities to appease city councilors, bureaucrats and corporate sponsors. Queer Ontario applauds the change in policy, but is raising a series of questions regarding the process that led to this latest decision and how it will be implemented.

Queer Ontario founder, Nick Mulé says, “Although Douglas Elliott, Brent Hawkes and Maura Lawless the three individuals who proposed the resolutions should be commended for assisting Pride Toronto in reversing the ban, the way this was conducted and is being characterized is highly suspect. At a time in which protests in this city are growing in response to G20 leaders meeting behind closed doors the same process being undertaken with this controversy undermines efforts made by the community.” As such, Queer Ontario raises the following questions:
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