McLeod among Conservative minority to support bill on transgender rights
When Cathy McLeod voted in favour of a private-member's bill this week to add discrimination against transgendered Canadians to the Canadian Human Rights Act, she did so not knowing what her constituents really felt about the issue.
The Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Conservative MP said she was disappointed with the feedback she got when she sought input about the issue, with just 100 people going to her website to provide their views.
"I had a low, low response rate," she said, adding she took the opportunity, when out in the riding, to seek out more information.
In the end, McLeod said, she listened to Thompson Rivers University nursing students with whom she met, from opinions expressed by the Canadian bar and police associations, which supported the initiative, "and from the heartfelt emails from people who have been challenged in their lives. There were some pretty powerful stories."
McLeod was among only 18 of the 164 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of the bill, guaranteeing it would pass.
The final vote was 149 to 137.
McLeod noted MPs can vote their conscience on private-member bills. She said the bill sponsor, NDP MP Randall Garrison, made several amendments that helped to clarify the goal.
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