 One of the greatest choices a person can make in their life is the choice to serve their fellow citizens Maybe it's in government in the military or in a police force in Whatever capacity one serves Dedicating your life to making Canada and indeed the world a better place is a calling of the highest order Now imagine if you will Being told that the very country you would willingly lay down your life to defend Doesn't want you doesn't accept you Sees you as defective sees you as a threat to our national security Not because you can't do the job or because you lack patriotism or courage No, but because of who you are as a person Because of who your sexual partners are Now imagine mr.. Speaker being subjected to laws policies and hiring practices that label you as different as less than Imagine having to fight for the basic rights that your peers enjoy over and over again Imagine being criminalized for who you are This is the truth For many of the Canadians present in the gallery today Many more listening across the country This is the devastating story of people who were branded criminals by the government People who lost their livelihoods and in some cases their lives These aren't distant practices of governments long forgotten These happened systematically in Canada with a timeline more recent than any of us would like to admit Mr.. Speaker today, we acknowledge an often overlooked part of Canada's history today We finally talk about Canada's role in the systemic oppression criminalization and violence against the lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer and two-spirit communities and it is my hope that in talking about these injustices in Vowing to never repeat them and acting to right these wrongs We can begin to heal Mr.. Speaker today, we acknowledge an often overlooked part of Canada's history Today, we finally talk about Canada's role in the oppression criminalization and systemic violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit communities and it is my hope that in talking about these injustices in Vowing to never repeat them and acting to correct these wrongs We can begin to heal together So come on this territory Those who have colonized Have brought with them strange norms Foreigners as well as the good and the bad Acceptable or unacceptable behaviors Appropriate or inappropriate partners They have brought with them norms of rigid gender Norms that are manifested by homophobia and transphobia Norms that have led to the almost destruction of LGBTQ and non-spiritual identities People whose identities have been openly venerated Have been discovered by them because of the people they were They have been rejected subject to violence Discrimination against LGBTQ2 communities was quickly codified in criminal offenses like buggery, gross indecency and body house provisions Bath houses were raided People were entrapped by police Our laws bolstered and emboldened those who wanted to attack non-conforming sexual desire Our laws made private and consensual sex between same-sex partners a criminal offense leading to the unjust arrest, conviction and imprisonment of Canadians This criminalization would have lasting impacts for things like employment, volunteering and travel Those arrested and charged were purposefully and vindictively shamed Their names appeared in newspapers in order to humiliate them their families Lives were destroyed and tragically lives were lost These practices did not end in 1969 when homosexual relations were partly decriminalized Until in 1988 a 20-year-old gay man who had sexual relations with another man risked to be condemned for what was considered a crime But there was no imprisonment and criminalization of LGBTQ2 people Other means of oppression were used in our society and in generations Homophobia at the time of the AIDS crisis caused hysteria and a fear of gay men Books and magazines were intercepted under the pretext of obscenity and customs regulations of text and image content being judged unacceptable LGBTQ2 families had to fight against their own government to have the right to social advantages and the freedom to marry at a high price To modern Canada as a forward-thinking progressive nation we can't forget our past The state orchestrated a culture of stigma and fear around LGBTQ2 communities and in doing so destroyed people's lives Mr. Speaker a purge that lasted decades will forever remain a tragic act of discrimination suffered by Canadian citizens at the hands of their own government From the 1950s to the early 1990s the government of Canada exercised its authority in a cruel and unjust manner undertaking a campaign of oppression against members and suspected members of the LGBTQ2 community The goal was to identify these workers throughout the public service including the Foreign Service the military and the RCMP and persecute them You see, the thinking of the day was that all non-heterosexual Canadians would automatically be at increased risk of blackmail by our adversaries called character weakness This thinking was prejudiced and flawed and sadly what resulted is not in short of a witch hunt The public service, the military and the RCMP spied on their own people inside and outside of workplaces During this time, the federal government even dedicated funding to an absurd device known as the Fruit Machine a failed technology that was supposed to measure homosexual attraction Canadians were monitored for anything that could be construed as homosexual behaviour with community groups, bars, parks and even people's homes under constant watch When the government felt that enough evidence had accumulated, some suspects were taken to secret locations in the dark of night to be interrogated They were asked invasive questions about their relationships and sexual preferences Hooked up to polygraph machines these law abiding public servants had the most intimate details of their lives cut open Women and men were abused by their superiors and asked demeaning, probing questions about their sex lives Some were sexually assaulted Those who admitted they were gay were fired, discharged or intimidated into resignation They lost dignity lost careers and had their dreams and indeed their lives shattered Many were sure that they had been subjected to singing so that they denounced their father that they had to betray their enemies their friends and their colleagues Some promised to end their relationship if they could keep their employment pushed to hide even more They lost their partners their friends and their dignity Those who didn't lose their jobs were retrograded Their security code was revoked They weren't considered for promises that they deserved Under the harsh glare of the spotlight people were forced to make an impossible choice their career or their identity The very thing Canadian officials feared Blackmail of LGBTQ2 employees was happening But it wasn't at the hand of our adversaries it was at the hands of our own government Mr. Speaker The number one job of any government is to keep its citizens safe and on this we have failed LGBTQ2 communities and individuals time and time again It is with shame and sorrow and deep regret for the things we have done that I stand here today and say and say we were wrong we apologize I am sorry we are sorry State sponsored systemic oppression and rejection we are sorry for suppressing two-spirit indigenous values and beliefs we are sorry for abusing the power of the law and the criminals of citizens we are sorry for the censorship of the government and the successive attempts to prevent you from building your communities to refuse your equality and to force you to fight constantly for this equality and this often at a high cost to force you to live at risk to make you invisible to humiliate you we are deeply sorry we were wrong to all the LGBTQ2 people across this country who we have harmed in countless ways we are sorry to those who were left broken by a prejudice system and to those who took their own lives we have failed you for stripping you of your dignity for robbing you of your potential for treating you like you were dangerous indecent and flawed we are sorry to the victims of the purge who were surveilled interrogated and abused who were forced to turn on their friends and colleagues who lost wages lost health we betrayed you and we are so sorry to those who were fired to those who resigned to those who stayed at a great personal and professional cost to those who wanted to serve but never got the chance because of who you are you should have been permitted to serve your country you were stripped of that option we are sorry we were wrong all Canadians missed out on important contributions you could have would have made to our society you were not bad soldiers sailors airmen and women you were not creditors and you were not criminals you served your country with integrity and courage you are professionals you are patriots and above all you are innocent for all your suffering you deserve justice you deserve peace it is our collective shame that you were so mistreated and it is our collective shame that this apology took so long many many years and many years and many years our loved ones are no longer alive to hear these words for that we are truly sorry to the partners, families and friends of the people we harmed for upending your lives for causing you such irreparable pain and grief we are sorry We also thank members of the We Demand and Apology Network, our LGBTQ2 community, for their support and for their support. We thank the members of the We Demand and Apology Network, our LGBTQ2 community, for their support and for their support. Our LGBTQ2 Apology Advisory Council and the Just Society Committee for EGAL, as well as the individuals who have long advocated for this overdue apology. Thanks to them, we understood that we could not simply forget this chapter of our history. We would not serve the community or the whole of Canadians by erasing this sad story. We will work with the university and the intervenants to see if this story is known and accessible to the general public. We must remember and we will remember. We will honor and memorialize the legacy of those who fought before us in the face of unbearable hatred and danger. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that we will look back on today as a turning point, but there is still much more work to do ahead of us. Discrimination against LGBTQ2 communities is not a moment in time, but an ongoing, centuries-old campaign. We want to be a partner and ally to LGBTQ2 Canadians in the years going forward. There are still real struggles facing these communities, including for those who are intersex, queer people of color, and others who suffer from intersectional discrimination. Transgender Canadians are subjected to discrimination, violence, and aggression at alarming rates. In fact, trans people didn't even have explicit protection under federal human rights legislation until this year. The problems of mental health and suicide are more frequent among LGBTQ2 communities because of discrimination and harassment they are victims of, and the lack of self-discipline among these young and stupefying young people. There is still work to be done at the level of blood donations, organ donations, and criminalization of the non-divulgation of HIV. The government must continue to work with its partners to improve policies and programs. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that earlier today in this House, we tabled the expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act. This will mean that Canadians previously convicted of consensual sexual activity with same-sex partners will have their criminal records permanently destroyed. Further, I am pleased to announce that over the course of the weekend, we reached an agreement in principle with those involved in the class action lawsuit for actions related to the purge. Never again will Canada's government be the source of so much pain for members of the LGBTQ2 communities. We promised to consult and work with individuals and communities to right these wrongs and begin to rebuild trust. We will ensure that there are systems in place so that these kinds of hateful practices are a thing of the past. Discrimination and oppression of LGBTQ2 Canadians will not be tolerated anymore. Mr. Speaker, Canada's history is far from perfect. But we believe in acknowledging and writing past wrongs so that we can learn from them. For all our differences, for all our diversity, we can find love and support in our common human rights. We are Canadians and we want the very best for each other, regardless of our sexual orientation or our gender identity or expression. We will support one another in our fight for equality and Canada will stand tall on the international stage as we proudly advocate for equal rights for LGBTQ2 communities around the world. To the kids who are listening at home and who fear rejection because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity and expression. And to those who are nervous and scared but also excited about what their future might hold. We are all worthy of love and deserving of respect. And whether you discover your truth at 6, at 16, or at 60, who you are is valid. To members of the LGBTQ2 communities, young and old, here in Canada and around the world, you are loved and we support you. Canada becomes a little stronger every time we choose to welcome and celebrate who we are in all our particularities. We are a country of diversity. We are a country that is richer thanks to the experiences and contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and bisexual people. To the trailblazers who have lived and struggled and to those who have fought so hard to get us to this place, thank you for your courage and thank you for lending your voices. I hope and I know that you look back on all you have done with pride. It is because of your courage that we are here today together reminding ourselves and each other that we can and must do better. For the oppression of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit communities, we apologise. On behalf of the government, parliament and the people of Canada, we were wrong. We are sorry. We will never let this happen again.