Canada's first out lesbian federal minister on why Pride feels different this year
For Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge, Pride month feels different this year. It's a sentiment that's being expressed by many in the LGBTQ2S+ community in the wake of a rise in hate and attempts to "push back" on the progress made, but she sees it as an opportunity for Canadian politicians, high-profile athletes and others with platforms to "stand up."
"There is a difference this year… We need to talk about it," St-Onge said. "I think it's more important now than ever, that people that are in the public space, that we stand up and stand against what we're seeing right now… Whatever athletes, or sports organizations or people with a public voice, we need to use that space to bring positivity and support to the queer and trans community."
St-Onge made history in 2021, becoming Canada's first openly lesbian member of the federal cabinet. In an exclusive sit-down interview with CTV News, the minister spoke about her experience in office so far, what's worrying her about the current climate, and where she sees ways for the federal government to do more.
The minister told CTV News that when she started out in her current role, after a nail-biter race to win her riding of Brome-Missisquoi, Que., she felt some hesitancy about being typecast or perceived by her sexual orientation, but now she's feeling more of a responsibility to speak out.
"I think it's time for people who do believe in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, who do believe that we have the greatest country in the world… I think it's time for us to stand up and take a stand and be strong," she said, suggesting the LGBTQ2S+ community and allies need to be ready to take steps to shore up Canada’s protections.
Coming from her position as minister of sport, St-Onge would also like to see Canadian sports organizations use their platforms for good.
In recent months, high-profile athletes come under scrutiny for anti-LGBTQ2S+ comments, and the NHL has said it after several players refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys this past season.
"It's something that I would have never thought that we'd see," St-Onge said of the recent headlines, "Because a year ago or two years ago, it wasn't even being questioned."
She said the sports organizations and the athletes that are "making a lot of money and that have the privilege of having a voice should use it for positive reinforcement," and not to try to roll back rights.
St-Onge said she has conversations regularly, including with Canada's national teams about how to make sport more inclusive. It’s a challenge that's seen the minister face some tough questions as parliamentarians have dug into the issue of safe sport and certain organizations' serious mishandling of allegations of misconduct and abuse.
After being sworn in, St-Onge said she wanted to bring a new perspective to government decision-making. It’s a goal she said she thinks has been achieved by bringing her unique life experiences to policy conversations at the cabinet table and liaising with minister Marci Ien who leads on LGBTQ2S+ files, as well as her fellow queer cabinet, caucus, and parliamentary colleagues.
And, while St-Onge looks positively at the government's record and work on LGBTQ2S+ files, she identifies the need for legislation to better protect people online as one main outstanding area where she thinks the Liberals need to do more to protect this community and others.
The government has already committed to tabling online harms or "only safety" legislation. After extensive consultations and reworking, the bill meant to ensure behaviour that is not acceptable in reality is not permitted online, is expected to be coming to the House of Commons in the fall.
While she has experienced some of the online vitriol herself, what is "preoccupying" her is thinking about the young people who are coming out or questioning their identities being exposed to attacks and harmful messaging online.
St-Onge attributes the uptick in hate directed towards minority groups to "a push from extremist groups" trying to "regress" the freedoms and protections that decades of advocates had fought for, as well as foreign governments trying to "attack countries like ours that have better freedoms. "
Last fall, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly summoned Russia’s ambassador over anti-LGBTQ2S social media posts, including one directed at St-Onge.
"We need to be aware of that, we need to acknowledge that this is happening… And we need to keep on moving our policies and legislation forward," St-Onge said. "There is something that's happening and it's hard to explain, but everybody is feeling it and everybody is seeing it."
Going forward, St-Onge is hoping to see more members of the LGBTQ2S+ community get involved in politics, and in the interim she's calling on all political parties to show up at Pride events this season, something so far Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been non-committal on.
Last weekend he told reporters asking about his Pride plans that he would "be joining with all Canadians to celebrate the fact that gays and lesbians have the freedom in this country to live their lives, and raise their families in peace, in safety, and in acceptance,†but would let them know how he’ll be doing that celebrating, once his schedule is set.
"It's time that all of us in the House of Commons, that we commit to protecting our freedoms and rights and the rights of the queer and trans community. It's when things are hard and when people are trying to push back on the progress that we've made, that we need to be united and be strong, and say that as political leaders, we are going to protect our laws, and we're going to protect communities," St-Onge said.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
Israeli military says it has carried out a 'targeted strike' in Beirut
The Israeli military said it carried out a 'targeted strike' in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, especially for women and Black people, study finds
Following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems, a new study found.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
Federal firearm buyback program has cost $67M, still not collecting guns after 4 years
The federal firearm buyback program has cost taxpayers nearly $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it still hasn't collected a single gun.
NEW Health data collected from Indigenous Peoples in Canada has a dark history. One Indigenous company is turning that around
Software company Mustimuhw Information, which develops medical records systems built on a foundation of Indigenous traditions and values, is allowing health providers to capture data informed by cultural practices.
For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.
No, these viral purple apples don't exist in Saskatchewan
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.