Government of New Brunswick

Dec. 12, 2016

“We congratulate the government on the introduction of An Act Respecting The Residential Tenancies Act and the Ombudsman Act in the Legislative Assembly.

The words we use matter. They reflect and help create the world around us. They can reinforce bias and discrimination or they can advance equality. It is heartening to see government take steps to ensure that our laws evolve to reflect language that is inclusive and supports gender-equality.

We look forward to further action from government on language and gender-equality in our laws. Specifically, we are eager to see government introduce legislation to amend the Vital Statistics Act to allow transgender individuals to change their birth certificates to match their gender, as promised in June.

Language has often been used to reinforce attitudes that marginalize trans individuals and put them at risk of violence. An example of this is legislation and policies that prevent trans individuals from changing legal documents and government-issued identification to accurately reflect their gender. Changing the Vital Statistics Act to allow trans New Brunswickers to use the right words to describe their gender on their birth certificates will enhance the well-being and safety of these residents and strengthen gender equality in our province.”

12-12-16

Media contact: Beth Lyons, Executive Director, Voices of NB Women Consensus-Building Forum [email protected] Tel. 506-462-5142