Imagine for a moment the absurdity: a Council on the Status of Women without a single woman. A committee for reconciliation with indigenous peoples without any indigenous people. A committee to fight racism against black people without any black people. A committee to ensure the employment integration of disabled people without the presence of a person with reduced mobility or a disability. A scientific and technical committee without a single scientist. A committee to reflect on the future of the education sector, without anyone from the education sector.
• Read also: Gender identity: no trans within the committee of wise men
It is in this absurd logic, it seems, that the composition of the committee of “wise men” responsible for advising the government on questions affecting gender identity is revealed to us.
- Listen to the political meeting with Yasmine Abdelfadel and Marc-André Leclerc via QUB radio :
Wisdom
Thus, Diane Lavallée, former president of the Council on the Status of Women, Dr Jean-Bernard Trudeau, family doctor, and Patrick Taillon, professor of constitutional law, were designated as these so-called “wise men”. Certainly, their profile is interesting, even relevant, for the exercise. However, the total absence of a person from the LGBTQ2S+ communities, whether trans or non-binary, is truly astonishing.
Is there not a transgender or non-binary person who is sufficiently “wise” from a government point of view to participate in the discussions and contribute to the work of this committee? Can we really deprive ourselves of the perspective of a person who knows the issue from their daily experience, especially when it concerns the protection of a minority and the understanding of a reality that is foreign to us? ?
Photo Agence QMI, Gabriel Côté
A joke
The brilliant idea of setting up a committee of “wise men” to advise the government was welcomed. It offered the possibility of depoliticizing the question, of taking a step back, and of avoiding the pitfalls of a delicate issue. However, by excluding the main stakeholders from this committee, the government is transforming an excellent idea into a farce unanimously denounced by all groups.
It is high time for this parliamentary session to end so that the government finally stops shooting itself in the foot.