trost-humanrights_thumb-1.png
trost-humanrights_thumb-1.png This article is more than 6 years old

Conservative leadership candidate: human rights laws are ‘big government’ run amok

"This is a big government solution to a problem that does not exist," Trost said of protecting gender identity under Canada's human rights laws.

PP.gif

Apparently one Conservative leadership candidate thinks human rights laws are a form of discrimination.

During parliamentary debate on Bill C-16, a bill aiming to protect gender identity under existing human rights legislation, Conservative MP Brad Trost suggested the legislation will “actually promote discrimination.”

“This is a big government solution to a problem that does not exist,” said Trost, who announced his plan to replace Stephen Harper as Conservative leader in August during a family vacation to Mongolia.

Adding that it’s “something I firmly believe,” Trost added that human rights laws should only “restrain the government” rather than “input new discriminations”:

“The purpose of human rights legislation should be, by and large, to restrain the government, not to actually input new discriminations against other people.”

Trost has described himself as a leader who is “100% conservative,” framing himself as a champion of social conservative causes opposing abortion and marriage equality.

Last month, Trost’s leadership campaign launched an online ad campaign opposing same-sex marriage.

While 38 Conservative MPs – including interim leader Rona Ambrose – voted in favour of C-16, Trost has been outspoken in his opposition to efforts to extend human rights protection on the grounds of gender identity:

Despite Trost’s claim that “the purpose of human rights legislation” is to “restrain the government,” the Canadian Human Rights Commission points out the purpose is to protect Canadians from discrimination – including the workplace.

Once it becomes law, C-16 will prevent employers in Canada from denying jobs to transgender people, for example.

The CHRC offers other examples, including banks refusing to make loans to people based on their race, employers forcing religious employees work on “the Sabbath” or firing employees because they are pregnant.

Trost thinks it’s discriminatory to prevent businesses from doing these sorts of things? 

Bill C-16 passed second reading this week by a margin of 248 to 40 with support from all parties.

Photo: House of Commons.

Our journalism is powered by readers like you.

We’re an award-winning non-profit news organization that covers topics like social and economic inequality, big business and labour, and right-wing extremism.

Help us build so we can bring to light stories that don’t get the attention they deserve from Canada’s big corporate media outlets.

 

Donate
PressProgress
PressProgress is an award-winning non-profit news organization focused on uncovering and unpacking the news through original investigative and explanatory journalism.

Most Shared

thumb-2023-03-08-BC-workers-recovery News

Ontario Budget 2023: Doug Ford Pulled a Sneaky Move to Quietly Cut Education

Related Stories

News

BC Workers are Being Forced Into Mandatory Drug Testing and Private ‘Recovery’ Programs

View the post
News

Budget 2023: Dental Care Plan Will Cover Millions More Uninsured Canadians Than Originally Estimated

View the post
News

Conservative Party Casts Doubt on Qualifications of Women Cabinet Ministers

View the post

Explainers

Human rights & inclusion

Amira Elghawaby

Here’s The Problem With Hoping Corporations Will Be Socially and Environmentally Responsible On Their Own

View the post
Politics & strategy

Jeremy Appel

The battle of the PACs in Calgary’s municipal election

View the post
Politics & strategy

Jeremy Appel

27 Different Candidates are Vying to be Calgary’s Mayor. Here Are the Biggest Issues at Stake.

View the post
Newspapers always have a business section – why not a labour section? We’ve launched a free newsletter covering labour issues in Canada.
Get Canadian Labour News You Won't Find in Corporate Newspapers.
We’ve launched a free newsletter covering labour issues in Canada.
Get Canadian Labour News You Won't Find in Corporate Newspapers