As you may know, Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada has opened up a public consultation survey inviting reflections from queer communities and organizations on the Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan and identifying emerging and persistent gaps, priorities, and opportunities to advance 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. This process is meant to shape what the federal government should do next on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues.
This is a crucial intervention point for us to maintain and further advance queer and trans people’s rights, and thus we are encouraging all our partners and supporters to participate in the government’s consultation survey (linked here).
Specifically, we are urging supporters and partners to use this opportunity to call for a renewal and expansion of the Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan, which is set to expire in just six months. But we need more than a renewal: we need a generational investment reflective of the rise of hate and growing need in 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
To help you participate in the process, we have developed our recommendations, based on the survey questions should you want to use them to help inform your own submission responses. Our recommendations are linked here.
Addressing the Expiry of the Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan and the Federal Government’s Lackluster Approach Thus Far
WAGE’s consultation launch coincides with the upcoming expiry of the five-year Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan, alongside its $100M scheduled investments, which comes to an end in March 2027. Since its launch in 2022, the action plan has served as the Government of Canada’s primary vehicle to advance equality for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada. It included funding for 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, new programs, commitments to reform and policy change, and more.
We have a lot of feedback on the first arc of the Federal Action Plan (much of it negative <3), but we believe maintaining and growing the plan is critical to upholding the freedom, rights, and equality of queer people in Canada. That is why we are urging all to participate in the government’s consultation process and call for a renewal and expansion of the Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan.
However, that does not mean we are not without our concerns around the approach and process of these consultations. When the first 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan was developed, there were months and months of consultations and conversations, with cabinet members at the table, and a survey was pushed out all across the country.
But this time? We’re seeing a rushed, bare-bones process. A survey and a handful of one-off meetings. Frankly, it's insulting, underwhelming and is fueling our most critical concern: that the government is sidelining queer and trans issues.
Why the Stakes are Even Higher in 2026
It is undeniable — we’ve entered a new era where queer and trans rights are under attack again.
Equality, freedom, and human rights are core Canadian values and integral to a healthy democracy and inclusive society. You would think, as hate rises, rights are stripped away, and queer people become less safe, our federal government would be doubling down and stepping up on 2SLGBTQIA+ equality. So why is our federal government’s leadership lacking?
We’re seeing backsliding on federal leadership on queer issues. Here are some poignant examples:
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If women, queer people, and allies hadn’t organized aggressively, we’d have seen deep cuts to equality funding in the 2025 federal budget - cuts that would have resulted in shuttered services and defunded vital community organizations. They came close to gutting funding for some of Canada's most vulnerable, at a time of rising misogyny, hate and a cost-of-living crisis.
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The Prime Minister’s first cabinet (pre-election) didn’t include a minister for women’s equality and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues – the first cabinet without such a role in decades. Our movements had to mobilize to ensure there post-election cabinet included a WAGE minister.
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It’s taken a lot longer than it should for the government to act on Employment Equity Act reform aimed at adding 2SLGBTQIA+ people and Black folks as protected groups. This work is still unfinished - and that says a lot about what - or who - the government is prioritizing.
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As transgender rights are attacked and hate towards trans people rises, the Government of Canada’s “Equality, Rights and Inclusion Council” excluded trans voices. Nothing about us without us is more than just a slogan - but this government is leaving trans voices behind.
Where This Leaves Us Now and Our Asks
While we have our concerns about the consultation process underway right now, we nonetheless urge our supporters and partners to participate — and to make clear that now is the time for a generational investment in queer equality through the renewal and expansion of the Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan.
That's why it is critical that we make our voices heard through the consultation underway right now. Some ideas and suggestions for community members participating in the consultation process here.
However, filling in a government survey will not suffice — we need to make it clear to the federal government that we cannot afford to allow this upcoming federal budget not to include queer issues.
That's why, in the weeks ahead, we'll launch a campaign calling on Prime Minister Carney to double down on 2SLGBTQIA+ equality in the upcoming federal budget. It is time for a generational investment in 2SLGBTQIA+ equality.
Stay tuned for more.