Sexual Orientation (October 28)
Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We’ve heard promises of a review of the Human Rights Commission and the legislation, but no clear answer has been given about whether gay and lesbian Albertans will be given the same written-into-legislation rights as everyone else.
It is wrong to say that they are protected because of the Vriend Supreme Court decision but then refuse to actually do anything to write that protection into law.
My question is to the minister of culture and community development. When will the review of the Human Rights Commission be made public so that all Albertans can see this government’s work or lack of it?
Mr. Blackett: Mr. Speaker, the people of Alberta will get a glimpse of what we’ve been looking at in terms of our review when we’ve completed it. It’s extensive, and it is encompassing all aspects of the Human Rights Commission from the chief commissioner to the legislation to the operations of it. When we have something to report, we will do so.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: when will the minister choose to stop discriminating against Albertans and write sexual orientation into the human rights act?
Mr. Blackett: Mr. Speaker, to assume that we are discriminating against Albertans because we haven’t gone forward with legislation assumes that there’s nothing else that’s of importance to Albertans. What about those people, those new immigrants that come to our province, that have problems with respect to their employment or where they’re planning to live? We look at the whole commission and human rights in that vein to encompass all 3.5 million Albertans, not just one group.
Ms Blakeman: That’s to play one group against another. To the same minister: given that the Alberta Teachers’ Association recognizes sexual orientation in their code of conduct and has initiatives for LGBT students, how will the minister support the gay and lesbian teenagers in Alberta now that their government refuses to protect their rights in legislation or compares them to a different group?
Mr. Blackett: Mr. Speaker, we have never said that we refuse to do anything. We are conducting a review, and when we’ve come upon the conclusions after that review has been finished, then we will table something. Until then, it’s just pure speculation at this point.
Alberta Hansard, October 28, 2008