Standing Committee on Health

Comité permanent de la santé

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 17, 2019 -

Bill Casey, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, presented the Committee’s 28^th report today entitled, The Health of LGBTQIA2 Communities in Canada.

In presenting the report in the House, Mr. Casey said: “I would like to thank the Member for Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam for taking the lead on this incredibly important study. This study was eye opening to many members of the Committee – myself included – into the specific health needs of Canada’s LGBTQIA2 communities. It is clear that we need to do more to ensure that LGBTQIA2 Canadians have safe and equitable access to health care across the country.”

Drawing on witness testimony and briefs, the Committee’s report examines the overall state of the mental, physical and sexual health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2) communities. Witnesses told the Committee that LGBTQIA2 individuals are at greater risk than other Canadians of developing mental health disorders, suffering from certain chronic diseases and/or being infected by sexually transmitted blood-borne infections. Some individuals identifying as LGBTQIA2 also have difficulty accessing appropriate health care in comparison to other Canadians.

In its report, the Committee notes that several factors, including discrimination and stigmatization, contribute to the health inequities experienced by sexual and gender minorities. The Committee also emphasizes that health inequities experienced by LGBTQIA2 communities are exacerbated when other identity factors and determinants of health – such as age, ethnic origin, income and access to health care – intersect with gender identity and sexual orientation.

The Committee is grateful for the witnesses who shared their personal experiences or lent their voices to others to illustrate, with concrete examples, how discrimination and stigmatization affect the health of sexual and gender minorities in Canada. The Committee agrees with witnesses that LGBTQIA2 individuals should be part of every decision taken regarding their health.

The Committee makes 23 recommendations that provide guidance on how the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, could move forward to address health inequities experienced by LGBTQIA2 communities in Canada. The recommendations focus on such areas as:

• increasing public education, awareness and training on gender and sexual minorities;
• improving data collection on LGBTQIA2 individuals’ health;
• enhancing research and program funding for LGBTQIA2 organizations;
• involving LGBTQIA2 individuals and organizations in planning measures to implement Government of Canada policies that affect them; and
• ensuring uniform coverage for medical care for trans individuals.