Xtra.ca
Xtra posed a series of questions to the leaders of Ontario’s four major political parties. Their responses are below:
Frank de Jong, Green
How do you reconcile that freedom from discrimination on the bases of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability are all explicitly protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, while gender identity is not?
Obviously I don’t. It’s not reconcilable. We must also protect gender identity under the Ontario Human Rights Code. It’s a huge embarrassment that we have not done so so far. That would be a first order of business of the Green Party.
Ontario delisted sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in 1988. What would you say to a voter who needs to undergo SRS but who can’t get the care they need in Ontario and can’t get funding from OHIP to seek it elsewhere?