Women's Declaration International Canada releases survey to MLAs and MLA candidates in BC

Women's rights are a main issue this election.

Oct 02, 2024

Women’s Declaration International Canada, BC/Yukon chapter have been kind enough to provide the text of an email released to all incumbent and candidate MLAs ahead of the coming election. The purpose is to collect political and personal stances on women’s rights in BC in order to report these later to help the voting public make their decision before the 19th.

Here is the preamble and survey text:

From the BC/Yukon representative for Women's Declaration International.

We are a group of volunteer women from across the globe dedicated to protecting women's sex-based rights. As an MLA/MLA candidate, we are contacting you to gauge you and your party's commitment to women's rights. We have recently prepared a shadow report which will be submitted to the 89th Session of CEDAW (Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) which will be held this October. The purpose of the shadow report is to outline CEDAW contraventions perpetrated by Canada by enacting certain laws and policies in 2017.

At the provincial level, impacts to women's sex biological category rights are due principally to the putting on par of self-declared "gender identity" in the BC Human Rights Code (BC HRC). The following questions provide some context on women's rights. We have kept the questions brief in appreciation of your time. However, if you would like to investigate this matter further, we have included links below and are also happy to receive additional questions and comments.

We are sending this survey to all sitting MLAs and MLA candidates as well as letters to all party main offices/contacts. Women account for half of the population of BC and our rights to dignity, safety, and freedom of speech; having been seriously compromised in recent years; must be a central issue going into the next government term.

SURVEY BELOW

1. Do you believe that sex is binary and that females (girls/women) constitute one of the sexes? (y/n - if no, please explain)

2. Gender identity is described in the BC HRC as both fixed and fluid (meaning that a male could identify as a woman one day and a man the next). For context, other characteristics in the code include sex, race, family status. Do you believe that self-image should be included in the code on par with measurable and observable characteristics? (y/n - please explain)

3. In including gender identity, no protections for women's spaces were created. Do you agree that women and girls should have protections for sex-based separate spaces such as public washrooms, change rooms at pools, detox facilities, shelter spaces, women's crisis centres, lesbian-specific events/organizations? (y/n - please explain)

4. The budgets for women's and girls' services and the number of spaces are fixed and are intended to serve this population. Trans-identifying men are now able to opt into many programs (i.e., detox/rehabilitation facility, shelter space) which effectively denies spaces and services to women. Do you believe that women's access to services and programs should be allowed to be diverted in this way? (y/n - please explain)

5. In Canada, including in BC, men identifying as women have been transferred to women's prisons. There are known cases of sexual assault as a result. Do you believe that men self-identifying as women should be allowed to be transferred to women's prisons? Should women who self-identify as men be transferred to men's prisons? (y/n - please explain)

6. Due to the BC HRC provisions on gender identity, opportunities created or reserved solely for females are now generally open to males self-identifying as women. These include business awards, scholarships, and employment equity. The most visible of these “inclusion” measures however is women’s and girls’ sports, leading to lost opportunities for females at the community and competitive level. Do you believe that it is fair to women and girls to include self-identified trans athletes on female teams or in female competitions including change/locker rooms? (y/n - please explain)

7. Due to gender identity provisions, referring to trans-identified individuals by their natal sex or using pronouns which align with their sex is confused in law guidance without balance or regard for women's sex category rights and protections of rights. There are many reasons why it may be necessary to refer to someone by their biological sex (e.g., if that person has committed a crime and must be identified accurately, medical reasons). Others may object to the concept of gender identity. Forcing someone to use that speech therefore could be considered in contravention of Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees "freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression" and may also violate "freedom of conscience". Do you believe that women and girls should be forced to address trans-identifying males using female pronouns and refer to them as women? (y/n - please explain)

We thank you for your time and concern for women's rights. We look forward to your response. We will be compiling responses from all MLAs and MLA candidates and will be issuing a press release based on the results, including null/no responses.

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Please consider writing to your MLA or candidate to ask them to complete this survey and tell them how important it is to you that they take women’s and girls’ rights seriously.

Results have now been received from fringe party and independent candidates. An additional article on the main party responses/platforms in the coming days. Please see the articles below for analyses of results so far.