Manitoba bill to add gender expression to human rights code draws praise, criticism

Matt Wiebe, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, is sworn-in by Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville at a swearing-in ceremony in Winnipeg, Oct. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG — Dozens of people lined up Thursday night to air opposition to and support for Manitoba’s plan to add gender expression to the human rights code — a move that would include protections for people to be called by their preferred pronouns.

Derek deVries, pastor at Park City Gospel Church in Winnipeg, said the NDP government’s bill would force Christians to go against their beliefs.

“This (proposed) law forbids Christians from following Christ’s example. It requires speech he would not permit,” deVries told a legislature committee.

Christine Ronceray said the bill amounts to “compelled speech.”

“No one in a free society should be forced to say what they do not believe.”

Manitoba is one of the few provinces with mandatory public hearings for bills, with the exception of budget-related ones. More than 60 people had registered to speak to the human rights code bill, and further hearings were scheduled for next week.

Most of the presenters in the first three hours of Thursday’s hearing spoke against the bill. Some expressed concern that they could find themselves brought before the human rights commission for misgendering someone, or for asking to be treated by a doctor of a specific gender.

The executive director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, Karen Sharma, addressed some of the concerns raised, saying the code applies to employment, housing and other services and not to interactions between private individuals or inside religious institutions.

Sharma also said honest mistakes about gender pronouns are very unlikely to lead to any trouble.

“I think it’s important to note that the cases that have gone to human rights tribunals and have been found to be discriminatory are cases of sort of malicious, repetitive misgendering,” she said.

Tara Sheppard, director of a non-governmental research group that deals with gender equity, spoke in favour of the bill and suggested there is an easy way for people to avoid being brought before the human rights commission.

“Here’s a simple solution — don’t violate people’s human rights,” Sheppard said.

The bill would help address systemic discrimination people face, Sheppard added.

Most other provinces already have gender expression covered under their human rights codes. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe repeatedly told presenters Thursday night that the bill is not about forcing government views on people.

“This bill in no way polices thoughts or beliefs,” Wiebe told the crowd.

“This really is about protecting against discrimination based on gender expression which might cause someone to lose their job, or be denied an apartment, or be denied services that are public.”

The issue of gender expression went before the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal recently.

Marni Panas, a transgender woman, filed a complaint in 2019 after she was misgendered by dispatchers when she called to ask for a welfare check on a friend.

The tribunal found there was discrimination but dismissed the complaint, saying dispatchers didn’t mean to misgender Panas.

Panas has applied for a judicial review of the ruling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press