Yes, Madam Chair, and thank you to Mr. Garrison.
The lines that are in question in Bill C-6 relate to clause 5, lines 30 to 32. I think there's a meeting of the minds here between ourselves and the NDP with respect to the importance of emphasizing the need to protect not only sexual orientation and gender identity, but also gender expression.
The language we would be proposing by way of either a new amendment or an amendment to what Mr. Garrison is suggesting is simply to insert “gender expression” into lines 32 and 33.
I can read it to you. In what we have in front of us, lines 32-33 currently read, “gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour.” That is followed by the two words “For greater”. The idea would be to insert “gender expression” into those two lines, so it would now read, “gender identity or gender expression to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-cisgender gender expression, or non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour. For greater”.
The insertion is basically a total of eight words. The words “or gender expression” would be inserted, and the words “non-cisgender gender expression, or” would be inserted as well.
That is to address what we heard in testimony, what we've heard from stakeholders and what we've read in written briefs, to ensure that this bill is as comprehensive as possible. It also tracks with other instruments, including human rights legislation and so on, in terms of its language and verbiage, that we have not only reference to sexual orientation and gender identity, which is currently in the bill, but also reference to gender expression.
I think that is where we have an understanding with the NDP with respect to the necessity of that type of change, so I would move that this language be used in lines 32 to 33 on page 4, in clause 5.
Thank you, Madam Chair.