April 25, 2014
Proposed Legislation Would Provide New Sensitivity to Change of Sex Designation: Minister Lemieux
Manitoba has introduced proposed changes to the Vital Statistics Act to better meet the needs of transgender people, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux announced today.
“Removing the requirement for transsexual surgery to change sexual designation on government documents is a matter of basic fairness,” said Minister Lemieux. “This will help transgender individuals in Manitoba change their sex on official records in an easier, more accessible way.”
The proposed legislation would replace the need for transsexual surgery with an application that includes a statutory declaration and the written support of a health-care professional. This updated approach respects Manitoba’s Human Rights Code and supports the standards required for identity documents such as a driver’s licence and passport.
The changes would allow Canadians not born in Manitoba, but living here for at least one year, to apply for a change of sex designation certificate. This certificate could be used to change identity documents without having to show sensitive medical documents to additional people or agencies.
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