The 2025 Canadian federal election will be held on Monday, April 28, 2025 to elect members of the House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Fae Johnstone, from Momentum Canada, shares a few thoughts on the importance of casting your vote…
By Fae Johnstone
This election is about the economy, but we are more than cogs in an economic machine. We are people, with values and belief systems. We are social beings – we care about our neighbours, how we treat each other, and what kind of country we live in.
This federal election is taking place against bleak backdrops. The obvious one – the economic war waged against Canada by Donald Trump – dominates the conversation. But there’s another bleak backdrop: the rise of anti-trans and anti-queer hate and assaults on the freedom, human rights and very existence for queer people.
In Alberta, parents of trans kids have been stripped of their medical authority by illogical and unscientific government policies than ban medically-necessary health services for transgender youth. In both Alberta and Saskatchewan, laws have been passed that limit the freedom of transgender youth to be themselves at school – and likely violate their charter-protected rights top.
In America, we’ve seen where this culture war leads. A politically savvy far right has poisoned the nation, turning neighbour against neighbour. An authoritarian leader is removing checks on his power using anger and division to consolidate power. Now, trans Americans and their families, and so many other vulnerable communities, live in fear for their safety – and for their future.
Despite their rhetoric about freedom, far right groups and their elected proxies have no problem limiting the freedom of others – namely, those who don’t look, live or love like they do. And it’s important to take note: it may begin with transgender people, but it won’t end with us. Women’s rights, anti-racism efforts, migrant rights, reproductive healthcare and more – they’re all on the chopping block.
In the Canadian context, only one leader of a major political party has failed to condemn the rise of anti-queer violence. Only one has gone to the defence of Premiers Scott Moe and Danielle Smith in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Only one has pledged to use the notwithstanding clause to override charter-protected rights. Only one has party policies that would restrict the freedom and healthcare access of transgender Canadians. Only one parrots the rhetoric of far-right anti-LGBTQ+ groups. That leader is Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party.
I’ve traveled almost every corner of Canada in the last five years, speaking with queer people and their families, as well as everyday Canadians of all kinds. I’ve spoken with Newfoundlanders, Yukoners, British Columbians, Albertans and beyond. Everywhere I go, I see the compassion, kindness and comradery that makes Canada unique. Those traits unite us, define us, and are part of why Canada has long had a glowing reputation around the world.
We aren’t perfect – far from it. But we are learning and growing, together. They say democracy is an experiment. In Canada, our results aren’t perfect, but our progress is beyond doubt. We are a more inclusive, accepting and diverse country than ever before.
In my decade of LGBTQ+ advocacy, I’ve seen Canadians embrace difference and come to see the shared humanity of their queer and trans neighbours. Canada today is nothing like the Canada I grew up in, where my queerness led to bullying, rejection and hate from my peers. While the last few years of regression, poisonous rhetoric and hate have hurt me and mine, I believe in Canada’s potential. I believe a brighter, more free, just and equal future is ahead of us – if we choose to make it so.
When the rights of some of us are restricted, it eases the same being done to others. When we forsake dialogue for misleading slogans and rage-farming, we lose sight of our shared humanity. There are some out there – anti-LGBTQ groups and their friends in Canadian politics – who want to recreate Canada in their image. In their Canada, queerness doesn’t exist. Or, if it does, it doesn’t go unpunished. In their Canada, governments tell us how to live our lives and who we can love. In their Canada, there’s nothing left to protect us from governments overriding our rights and restricted by our freedom. That’s not the Canada I know and love. That’s not the Canada I want for the next generation.
I’m not going to tell you who to vote for. Instead, I will ask for two things. First, that you make sure to vote, to participate in our imperfect democracy. Second, that you keep in mind your queer and trans neighbours, friends and loved ones at the voting booth.
Canada has an opportunity: to be a bastion of freedom, equality and human rights. We can step up, and step forward, as America declines in our rearview mirror. No, we won’t rival their economy, but we can aspire to be an example for others to follow – a nation where freedom includes everyone and human rights are non-negotiable. Where we have civil dialogue through our differences, and become stronger and more united because of it.
To build that brighter future, we need to vote for it on April 28th.
Learn more about party positions on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues and how you get involved in building a better future for queer and trans people here.
The federal election will take place in Canada on Monday, April 28, 2025. For more information on visit www.elections.ca.
FAE JOHNSTONE is a trailblazing advocate for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and the Executive Director of Queer Momentum, a national queer advocacy organization.
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