The federal government will table legislation aimed to protect transgender Canadians against violence and discrimination.
The bill will add “gender identity” to a list of charactertistics that are protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code.
The others include race, religion, age, sex and sexual orientation.
The legislation will be tabled on Tuesday, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the official announcement Monday afternoon in Montreal.
NDP MP Randall Garrison originally introduced the legislation as a private member’s bill in December.
While, the issue has not stirred as much heated debate in Canada has it has recently in the United States, attempts to pass similar legislation have failed in parliament, mainly because of opposition from members of the Conservative Party of Canada.
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