Mr. Speaker, this month Toronto will have the honour of hosting the World Pride Celebration. My constituency of Toronto Centre will be at the heart of the festivities.
We can be proud this landmark celebration will take place nearly nine years after gay marriage became legal across Canada.
What better symbol of our decade of equality than our victorious premier, Kathleen Wynne, the Commonwealth's first openly lesbian elected head of government.
World Pride is a moment for us to redouble our work to support LGBT rights. Here at home, a particular focus must be LGBT youth, who are too often a target of bullying and disproportionately find themselves homeless and unemployed.
World Pride is an essential time for us to speak out about LGBT rights around the globe as well. Too many countries, ranging from Russia to Uganda, are turning back the clock.
LGBT rights are human rights. Canada must be both a world leader and a global haven on this crucial issue.