Liberals face calls for LGBTQ2 envoy to advocate abroad

Randy Boissonnault, a former LGBTQ adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for domestic issues, says he supports having an official co-ordinate Canada's advocacy abroad.

The Liberals are facing mounting calls to appoint a senior diplomat to advocate for LGBTQ people abroad, including from within their cabinet.

“Do we need an envoy? Do we want an envoy? Absolutely,” said Deputy Finance Minister Randy Boissonnault.“And they should be very focused overseas.”

The Dignity Network, a coalition of Canadian groups that advocate for gender and sexual minorities abroad, says Ottawa should follow the Biden administration in creating a special envoy who can push for positive change.

The woman who holds that role, Jessica Stern, says that if Canada follows suit, the envoy should focus on amplifying the work of grassroots groups in Canada and elsewhere, while speaking with clout from the country’s highest political office.

“I have seniority to get things done. I have staff to support my agenda. I have access to the highest levels of the U.S. government,” Stern said in a Wednesday interview during a visit to Ottawa.

“You don’t have the luxury of learning on the job. You have to be able to hit the ground running. And so you have to know the LGBTQI organizations to call; they have to trust you.”

Her role, titled as the U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Persons, has existed since 2015 but was vacant from 2017 to 2021 while former president Donald Trump was in office.

While stressing that she can’t weigh in on domestic Canadian affairs, Stern said there is a co-ordinated, transnational movement to erode LGBTQ rights everywhere — and every country should designate an envoy with enough staff to be effective.