MP all ears at youth talk
Homeless, health and additional support for LGBTQ community are key issues to address, says special adviser to prime minister
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A special adviser to the prime minister said it was a powerful experience to see three levels of government listen to Yellowknife's youth discuss LGBTQ issues over the weekend.
Daniel Gunn, left, Jessica Florio and Elwood Chan pose for a photo at the Days of Pink Gala on Saturday evening. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo |
Randy Boissonnault, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's special adviser on these issues, was in the city over the weekend for Lunch with Leaders, a roundtable discussion between community members and leaders. The event was part of Days of Pink, a weeklong outreach festival on bullying and violence in the LGBTQ community.
The Edmonton Centre MP discussed what the federal government is doing, what still needs to be done, and how best to go about making Canada safer for LGBTQ youth.
"It's also important that federal politicians hear Northern voices and to hear the voices of youth," he said.
Boissonnault explained his role as a special adviser involves a lot of listening: listening to youth, listening to patients and listening to all Canadians. He described a vast number of issues to address to make Canada an equitable country for the LGBTQ community.
For example, he said in some parts of Canada, 40 to 50 per cent of homeless youth are LGBTQ.
"So how do we make sure that all homeless people and youth and LGBTQ2 youth can find safe shelter. There's a need to start there," he said.
He pointed out his role as special adviser to the prime minister on LGBTQ issues sets a precedent in Canada, including the announcement in the 2017 federal budget of $3.6 million to fund an LGBTQ secretariat.
Another issue Boissonnault raised is the including the needs of transgender youth.
"How do they get the support?" he asked. "How do they navigate an education system that, in many parts of the country, still has to wrap its mind around sexual health?"
He also praised youth outreach organization Rainbow Coalition for empowering youth to be the leaders of today.
"We're not waiting for youth to be leaders of tomorrow, they are leaders today," he said. "They are moving hearts and minds, and they are finding ways to influence and chance policy – that's very effective."
For executive director of the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife Jacq Brasseur, it was important to see politicians listen to what people had to say.
"They talked about how their schools aren't safe, and teachers in the Northwest Territories and Yellowknife are not always supportive of LGBTQ+ young people," Brasseur said. "They spoke about the ways in which maybe their parents aren't equipped to support them, and they talked about the need of a youth facilitator between politicians and young people because a lot of them talked about how they didn't think politicians would listen to them."
Brasseur said Days of Pink has helped LGBTQ youth build relationships with leaders in the community, adding the political leaders were impressed with the youth and their capacity to advocate for themselves.
Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife youth treasurer Damian Benoit attended both the roundtable and Lunch with Leaders on the weekend.
He said he raised many issues at the lunch but access to adequate health care and counselling is a major issue. He said when health care isn't queer friendly, LGBTQ youth get bumped to the bottom of the line.
"I experienced that about three years ago," he said. "I went to see a counsellor, and they weren't knowledgeable on queer stuff, so I did have to see someone else. It's not the best when you get bumped down to a waiting list when you feel the need to talk to someone right away."
