[lg policy] Canada: Duclos on defensive as opposition mocks gender-neutral language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

 Duclos on defensive as opposition mocks gender-neutral language policy
Morgan Lowrie
Montreal
The Canadian Press
Published March 21, 2018 Updated 16 hours ago
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Jean-Yves Duclos rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on
Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 7, 2018.

Canadian activists praised Service Canada’s decision to ask its employees
to adopt gender-neutral language when interacting with the public as a step
toward greater inclusivity, while members of the political opposition
mocked the policy mercilessly.

Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos defended the federal institution’s
internal directive Wednesday, saying it was a matter of respect and an
effort “to adapt to the reality of 21st-century families.”

According to the directive issued to managers and team leaders in January,
Service Canada employees are asked to use gender-neutral or
gender-inclusive language to avoid “portraying a perceived bias toward a
particular sex or gender.”

Workers are instructed to use a client’s full name or ask how they would
prefer to be addressed instead of using honorifics such as Mr., Mrs. or
Ms., which “can be seen as gender specific by a client,” reads the memo,
which was first obtained by Radio-Canada.

They are also being asked to eschew the terms “father” and “mother” in
favour of “parent.”

Some members of the opposition were quick to criticize the directive,
including Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who described it as
“ridiculous.”

Rheal Fortin, the former Bloc Quebecois MP who now sits as an Independent,
concurred, saying, “it’s bordering on harebrained.”

“I almost want to say I’m glad they don’t have any bigger problems than
that at Service Canada,” he joked.

But Duclos told reporters that Service Canada’s policies are a matter of
respect.

He specified in a tweet the government department is not eliminating the
use of Mr. or Ms.

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“Let us be clear, ServiceCanada–E will continue to use Mr/Ms when
interacting with Canadians,” he wrote on social media.

“We are only confirming how people want to be addressed as a matter of
respect.”

Two prominent activists praised the initiative, describing it as a positive
step toward inclusivity.

Helen Kennedy, executive director of national LGBTQ human rights
organization Egale Canada, praised the directive as “a good first step” but
said it needs to be accompanied with more awareness training and education
around non-binary and gender-neutral language.

“Some people may be very well-intentioned but they may not have the
understanding or knowledge that they need in order to ask the right
question in a manner that’s not going to be offensive,” she said in a phone
interview.

The backlash from the opposition is a sign of how far Canadian society
still has to come when it comes to inclusion, she said.

“Issues around gender-neutral language are extremely important, and they
may not be important to the opposition but I can tell you they’re very
important to members of our community,” Kennedy said.

Gabrielle Bouchard, the first transgender president of Quebec’s main
women’s federation, called the move a step toward “making sure all
Canadians can start an interaction with civil servants in the right way.”

In a phone interview, she said neither she nor the policy were advocating
for an end to the use of gendered pronouns, noting that some transgender
people prefer to use “Mr.” or “Ms.” as a way of reaffirming their gender.

“What we want isn’t the elimination of choice, what we want is to add more
choice,” she said.

Duclos’ press secretary, Emilie Gauduchon-Campbell, said the directive was
issued in response to requests from members of the public who criticized
Service Canada for a lack of inclusivity, including same-sex parents who
complained about the mother/father designation.

She added Duclos did not see the internal directive before it was
circulated Jan. 18.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to respond Wednesday morning to the
initial Radio-Canada report, saying he needed more time to look into the
matter.
Justin Trudeau helped mark International Women’s Day at a lunch in Toronto
on Thursday. The Prime Minister says gender equality in the workplace is
beneficial for all Canadians. The Canadian Press
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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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