Basically, I am influenced by the discussion we just had, when our guests talked about intersectionality.
In terms of the francophonie and our two official languages, intersectionality amounts to the “plus” in GBA plus, or gender-based analysis. In doing that analysis, you have to look at the cross-impact and determine which vulnerable groups may actually have fewer services.
That is when we talk about queer people, the 2SLGBTQI+ community, which might not be the exact acronym, and people with disabilities.
The “plus” in the GBA plus that was mentioned includes all of that. That is the intersectionality of the various groups.
If we do want to delve into this, I have a suggestion so that we don't have a series of conversations with different goals. I was wondering whether the motion could be worded differently from the proposal before us. After “That the committee invite witnesses with specific knowledge about the activities”, it would say that the original term would be replaced by the acronym starting with “LG”, and so forth. With full respect for all those groups, I propose that the motion refer instead to “specific knowledge of the impact of the intersectionality of the various groups”. We could then indicate that we are referring to the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities and organizations of that kind.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether we really need to dive deeper and gather even more information. We have to understand the reality of these people and understand how it will be taken into account so we can actually see how it is applied at Treasury Board. There are indeed implications for women. I agree with Mr. Godin on that. There is certainly a lot of data and a lot to do when it comes to women. There are however also people in my community talking to me about groups that are very vulnerable right now. They would like to know how they will be taken into account. I imagine that people in the rest of Canada would like to know that as well.
I would perhaps suggest intersectionality, with the various groups, to ensure that the francophonie is fully included.