Alberta NDP promises to push LGBTQ2S+ rights if elected

The NDP promises a better province for LGBTQ2S+ and racialized Albertans ahead of this year's Calgary Pride Parade, and an imminent election down the road.

MLA Janis Irwin and candidates Rosman Valencia and Brooks Arcand-Paul say the Alberta NDP will advance the rights of LGBTQ2S+ Albertans if given the opportunity to form provincial government again.

“When I first started out teaching, I helped my school establish its first-ever Pride club,” Valencia said.

“This was a big moment for me, and was something I felt was important to contribute to. It is so important to me that students have a safe space, where their privacy is respected and they can trust those around them. The NDP made sure this could happen with real legal protection.”

Valencia, vice-president of the End of the Rainbow Foundation, says those protections were stripped away by the United Conservative Party.

“I commit to you that an Alberta NDP government will restore the right of Alberta youth to form and join GSAs and QSAs, and to do so with their privacy protected under the law,” Valencia said.

Arcand-Paul says Pride is a protest in addition to a celebration.

“It began as an act of rebellion against the status quo. In fact, this is why I entered into law – I saw injustices perpetrated against my people, and people within my community both as a queer and Indigenous man,” Arcand-Paul said.

“As a lawyer, committing to changes in the law to reflect diversity and people who have been traditionally voiceless is vital. It truly matters as to who represents that voice, and who makes those decisions. It will reflect in better legislation, regulations and policy.”

Also pledged by the trio of Alberta New Democrats, assuming the party can power past the UCP in 2023, is an anti-racism act to improve interactions between government and racialized communities.

Valencia says the bill would provide a framework for collecting race-based data as a foundation for that work.

Irwin says all of these endeavours would take time and effort to put in place but the NDP wouldn't stop there.

Also on the party's to-do list:

• Expansion of coverage for trans health care;
• Making it easier for LGBTQ2S+ Albertans to find a doctor; and
• The development of an inclusive, thoughtful curriculum.

“Most importantly, we will listen to 2SLGBTQ+ folks,” Irwin said.

“I can guarantee this: Alberta’s NDP will never stop working to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ Albertans.”