Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a the creation of a special adviser on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirited (LGBTQ2) issues Tuesday.
Randy Boissonnault, a Member of Parliament who represents a constituency in Edmonton, Alberta in the Canadian House of Commons, is charged with coordinating government policy with LGBTQ2 advocacy groups.
Trudeau — of whom President Barack Obama said during an official state visit this year “What’s not to like?” — has been cited by the U.S. president as a man “with a commitment to inclusivity and equality.” His Liberal government plans to introduce a motion to make an official apology to all LGBTQ2 people, for past discrimination received from the federal government.
The government this week is also introducing legislation in Parliament that will repeal sections in the Criminal Code of Canada that ban anal sex. Critics have questioned the need for the repeal since the current law already has exemptions that cover anyone of either sex over the age of 18.
“We have made great strides in securing legal rights for the LGBTQ2 community in Canada — from enshrining equality rights in the Charter to the passage of the Civil Marriage Act,” Trudeau said in a statement.
Canada legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2005, a decade in advance of the 2015 U.S. supreme court decision that made it legal in every state.