Press Release

May 11, 1995

Lesbian Adoption Ruling Renews Pressure for Government Action

Governments are abandoning their responsibility to act on human rights issues, leaving it up to the Courts to implement basic equality, said EGALE, the national lesbian and gay lobby group yesterday.

“The courts have ruled on the very issue that the Ontario Government lacked the courage to address”, said John Fisher, Executive Director of EGALE. “While the courts are ruling in favour of same-sex adoptions, the federal government still can’t even decide to introduce legislation protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination.”

“Our own governments are falling way behind the Courts and the general public,” Fisher added. “It’s time for the government to pull itself out of the Dark Ages and introduce legislation to provide lesbians and gays with equality. Their record on these issues is abysmal. Are they followers or leaders?”

Fisher’s comments came in the wake of a historic decision by an Ontario Court ruling that denying lesbians and gay the right to adopt was a breach of the equality guarantees in the Charter of Rights. Over two years ago, the Ontario Court of Appeal in the Haig case ruled that the federal Human Rights Act must be extended to include “sexual orientation”. Despite repeated promises, the federal government has still taken no action to do so.

For further information:
John Fisher, Executive Director, EGALE: (613) 230-1043

Egale Canada ©2010

Advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people and their families across Canada