PM honoured for LGBTQ advocacy
TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has made great strides in achieving equality for LGBTQ people but there’s still work to be done.
A rainbow-hued Toronto hotel ballroom erupted in applause Thursday night as Trudeau took to the stage to accept an award from human rights group Egale Canada for his LGBTQ advocacy.
During his speech, Trudeau recalled his apology last November to public servants and members of the military who had their careers sidelined or ended due to their sexual orientation between the 1950s and early 1990s.
He told the crowd he kept his kids home from school that day so they could share in what he described as one of the most poignant moments of his political career.
The prime minister affirmed his commitment to addressing present-day discrimination suffered by LGBTQ Canadians, including what he described as discriminatory restrictions preventing sexually active gay men from being blood and organ donors.
TD Bank CEO Bharat Masrani described Trudeau as “the very definition of what it means to be an ally” as he presented the prime minister with Egale’s inaugural leadership award.
Organizers say the award honours an individual who has made significant contributions toward advancing rights for LGBTQ people in Canada.