Five pride organizations in North Western Ontario are calling for an urgent meeting with MP Eric Melillo and area conservatives over transphobic party statements.
The collective is troubled by recent comments made by conservative leader Pierre Poilevre, on X formally known as Twitter, Poilievre responded to a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau always divides to distract from all he has broken. This time, he is demonizing concerned parents.
Parents should be the final authority on the values and lessons that are taught to children. Trudeau should butt out and let parents raise their kids. pic.twitter.com/B4LeLDqMvA
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 22, 2023
“His words appear to signal support for misinformed policies targeting 2SLGBTQIA+ people. These policies put trans, non-binary, two-spirit, and queer young people at risk of harm. We are equally troubled by the silence of members of the federal Conservative caucus who have previously spoken out against similar statements against our community. We have appreciated their support in the past but are concerned about their lack of response today, in our community’s time of need,” stated the collective.
The statement concluded that “It is now apparent that transphobia and misunderstanding of the real harms CPC policies and politics are creating for young people is a broader issue. For that reason, we are now requesting an urgent meeting between representatives of our collective organizations, Mr. Melillo, and representatives of the Kenora, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, and Thunder Bay—Superior North federal Conservative riding associations. We can all agree that the safety and best interest of young people is paramount. However, that discussion must be rooted in facts, not hate and misinformation.”
The collective is comprised of Rainbow Alliance Dryden, Kenora Pride, Borderland Pride, Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay, and Thunder Pride
