Petition to the House of Commons of Canada

Request to Repeal of Amendment to Bill C-16 to Remove Gender Identity & Expression

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to enact the following:

Whereas:

Bill C-16, enacted in 2017, added "gender identity or expression" to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the Criminal Code to extend protections against discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

Amendments to the Bill in its current form have served to undermine the human rights of women(adult human females), especially in relation to the protection of sex-based rights in law and language. Women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) human rights to single sex spaces, that provide dignity, privacy and safety in spaces for female humans, away from the male sex. This amendment has removed women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) from Canadian policy, language and legal protections, restricting women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) participation in Canadian society. 

The recognition of "gender identity" over biological sex is conflicting with the historical, scientific, and legal understanding of sex as a distinct and immutable characteristic.

The amendment has, in the view of petitioners, removed the recognition of women and girls as female as distinct terms that are vital to ensuring equality and protections for women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) in areas such as health, safety, and single-sex spaces.

The erasure of sex-based distinctions has raised concerns about the ability to safeguard the equal participation of women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) in Canadian society, especially in sex-specific spaces such as shelters, sports, and washrooms, change rooms, prisons and women's(adult human females) healthcare.

Therefore, we respectfully request the following actions by the House of Commons:

1)The Canadian Government to uphold it's legally binding Commitment Canada made with CEDAW and recognize that Canada legally ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(Adult Human Females) (CEDAW) since December 10, 1981. By doing so, Canada entered a legally binding commitment to condemn and combat discrimination against women(adult human females) in both public and private spheres. Canada has failed to uphold it's legally binding commitment for Women's(adult human females) Human Rights.

2)The immediate repeal of the amendment to Bill C-16 that recognizes gender identity and expression in a way that removes protections for sex-based rights.

3)The reinstatement of clear legal definitions of woman and girl as the female sex of humans and sex in Canadian law, ensuring the recognition of biological sex and its importance in safeguarding the equality and rights of women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females).

4)A national dialogue on the implications of gender identity laws on the sex-based rights of women(adult human females), ensuring that all voices, including those of women(adult human females), are heard and respected in shaping Canadian policy on this issue.

5)An independent review of how Bill C-16 has impacted sex-based protections and women's(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) human rights, with recommendations for future amendments that balance the rights of all individuals without undermining the human rights of women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females).

The undersigned further call upon the Government of Canada to ensure that any amendments made to Bill C-16 or related laws are done with the full consultation of women’s(adult human females) groups, legal experts, experts in Human Biology and human rights advocates to protect the equal participation of women(adult human females) and girls(adolescent human females) in all aspects of Canadian society and the terms Woman and girl as female and as distinct terms in law and language.