Thank you, Madam Chair.
Vice-chairs and members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, my name is Mylène de Repentigny‑Corbeil, and I am co‑chair of the Conseil québécois LGBT, which brings together more than 80 2ELGBTQI+ organizations from across the province of Quebec. Thank you for this opportunity to appear today.
For many months now, threats of diminished rights for our communities have been hanging over our heads like constantly darkening shadows. In many Canadian provinces, proposals to reduce policies for including 2ELGBTQI+ youth in the schools are being examined. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service recently issued a warning about the threat of extremist violence by anti-2SLGBTQI+ movements. Every day, we at the Conseil québécois LGBT witness the consequences of this hatred, which undermines any sense of security and endangers the welfare and dignity of our communities.
Our network is extensive, committed and diverse and includes activists who have spent the past few decades fighting for gay marriage and the right to start a family, the right to work and study without fear of discrimination, the right of trans people to have identity documents that reflect who they are, and more. These people have celebrated the legal advances that have been made thanks to their determination and total devotion to the cause. However, today these people tell us that, for the first time, they are seeing a change of direction in their journey.
For several months now, and for the first time in recent history, the situation has been trending backwards, not forward. At the same time, the data show that violence, bullying and hate speech toward our communities are increasing as never before, both online and off. We are deeply troubled to see that dangerous and hateful speech is seeping into and influencing public policy. That's what we're currently seeing in Canada.
The member organizations of the Conseil québécois LGBT report disruptions and hurled insults at awareness workshops in the schools. Some people feel forced to deactivate the comments section on their social media as a result of the torrent of hateful messages. Rainbow flags are being torn down, trampled upon and torn up. Protests are being organized and held to attack the rights of trans and non-binary people, and the situation continues to decline.
Hate or dangerous speech freely circulates in the political and media spaces both in Canada and abroad. What we are seeing on a daily basis is that disinformation and fake news are wreaking havoc by fuelling moral panic based on hearsay and rumours. Sexual and gender-diverse people have become scapegoats who are being blamed for all of society's problems.
As you will remember, last year, people definitely talked a lot more about gender-neutral bathrooms than about the fact that we were lacking thousands of qualified professionals in our schools. Last year, reporting broadcast by reliable media outlets promoted anti-trans theories that have been unanimously demolished by the scientific community. Millions of videos are being posted online by influencers promoting openly misogynistic, racist, homophobic and transphobic speech—it's open season on everyone. This is a multifaceted problem, and it's spreading on all platforms.
What I've said today isn't anecdotal. This is a crisis that calls for a decisive political response. Canada's action plan on combatting hate and the federal 2SLGBTQI+ action plan are essential tools in coordinating the response to that crisis. However, they must be implemented soon, with determination and supported by additional measures.
The community organizations need active support to respond to the growing demand from the 2ELGBTQI+ communities. Canada needs a better digital platforms framework to combat online disinformation and hate, which lead to actual violence. It must also continue to provide more monitoring of hate-based crimes by considering the specific impacts that they have on our communities. We are counting on your assistance to reverse this trend.
Thank you for your attention and support, which are essential in these difficult times.