A coalition of more than 45 LGBTQI+ organizations, co-organized by Rainbow Railroad, Queer Momentum, Egale Canada, Pride at Work Canada, Fierte Canada Pride and Dignity Network Canada, rallied at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 6 in a historic and concerted call for renewed federal support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Since 2022, organizers and advocates have relied on a $100-million Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan to advance equality for queer and trans communities. But a looming March 2027 expiration date puts potential continued commitment at risk.
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Sustaining the existence of that 2SLGBTQI+ community infrastructure requires increased funding support that would strengthen economic participation, democracy, and the social fabric of Canada, advocates argued. Today, Rainbow Railroad and other organizations are asking for $450 million in funding over five years across several government departments including Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Funding “is the core of the community's ability to do any kind of programmatic work, including direct services, and sustaining the community infrastructure to close a lot of the gaps that have been created, interestingly enough, by the government itself,” notes Chief Communications & Advocacy Officer, Latoya Nugent. Rainbow Railroad alone has seen a million-dollar funding gap caused by cuts from the governments of Canada and the UK.
Beyond Our Borders: Advocacy in Amsterdam
The work done on Parliament Hill in many ways, is an expansion of the advocacy work Rainbow Railroad has been calling for globally. In August, Nugent traveled to Amsterdam to coordinate the only panel that explored queer forced displacement at WorldPride.
Her presentation highlighted the climate disasters, geopolitical conflicts, and global increase in anti-LGBTQI+ rights present in our data, as well as our work fighting back against it through the historic Queer Forced Displacement Network and the support of Global Affairs Canada.
From Parliament Hill to Amsterdam, the message is clear: progress cannot be sustained without the resources and political commitment to support it. In the last five years we’ve seen declining support for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and an increase in hate crimes on the local and global level.
“Given the policy shifts we are seeing not just domestically across Canada and the US, but also what we're seeing happen globally with our community, Queer Day of Action was a powerful symbol not just for us here in Canada, but even for people across our borders,” says Nugent. “[We can’t] lose sight of the importance of advocacy in ensuring that Rainbow Railroad is able to deliver on its mission.”
Advocacy takes all of us. As governments reconsider their commitments, sustained community support is essential to protecting the progress we’ve made and building a future where LGBTQI+ people can live safely and freely.
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