Diversity initiatives are critical in building a strong Canada. In light of this and in honour of Pride season across the country, The Pearson Centre is proud to publish a series highlighting the importance of and contributions by queer organizations. Now more than ever, the strength of the diverse communities in Canada and across the globe should be highlighted and we hope to share this through our series, Queering Canada.
“Queer” as a term refers to an identity and umbrella term for the 2SLGBTQI+ community, and the reclamation of discriminatory language. In this context, it is an umbrella term and also signifies a willingness to move away from normativity (in policy or otherwise).
Photo courtesy of Dignity Network Canada
At the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message was clear: we need to be authentic on the global stage. Adapting to the current rupture in our world’s geopolitical order requires Canada to reconsider our relationships and recognize “the value of our strength.” Rising to the challenges requires new ways of addressing them, but these methods may have already been proposed by marginalized voices between each Canadian coast and beyond.
The Pearson Centre was inspired by the attendees of Dignity Network Canada’s (DNC) fifth Roundtable, hosted in Ottawa. Over a series of discussions between representatives from over 40 countries and Canadian government officials, there was a lot of resonance on the issues faced globally by 2SLGBTQI+ communities. However, the strategies to take on these challenges differed between people working on-the-ground and those working on behalf of Canadian agencies.
Prime Minister Carney highlighted Canada’s work in building “coalitions that work” rather than our efforts being naive multilateralism. What if this could be expanded beyond trade and defence, and into challenging hegemony from an even more unified stance? One where those to an uprising in threats to human rights globally.
The Government of Canada has provided over $250 million for 2SLGBTQI+ communities since 2016 in supporting queer programming at home and abroad. This includes working at the most local levels can inform not only foreign nations’ policies, but Canadian impact as well? At DNC’s Roundtable, there was an emphasis on creating unusual partnerships. Regarding the rupture of world order that Carney referenced, this is of serious relevance. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) provides funding and support to a wide variety of organizations, but their structures were also referenced at the Roundtable as some of the most rigid and demanding worldwide.
These partnerships require advocacy, but also resources to mobilize the work community organizations do to be sustainable in the long run. Amplifying the work done locally towards a governmental level is crucial in challenging the current powers that have led the LGBTQ2I International Assistance Program (IAP), which has contributed $37 million to initiatives worldwide as of 2025. Canada, both in reports and at this Roundtable, emphasizes the nation’s work in advocating for 2SLGBTQI+ peoples rights, but at the core of many organizations’ issues in community work is a lack of resources and infrastructure to sustain projects. Our role as a key donor country gives power to Canadian agencies to not only determine which project or organization gets funding, but to dictate their desired outcomes.
A continuous theme in discussions with organizations who work with DNC is the stringent requirements for foreign projects, particularly with local initiatives, and how the bureaucracy in the Canadian system limits crisis response and organizational wellbeing. Canada in the past has been a leader in the advancement of queer rights globally, and now is not the time to back down.
In the 2022 Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, supporting queer communities at home and abroad was listed as a priority. It referenced the IAP and an aim to renew Canada’s commitment to protecting these rights worldwide. Recently, this priority both in Canada and abroad has been decreasing. International demand on Canadian queer institutions for support is at an all-time high, while constraints within the country have limited the available support systems.
In the name of unusual partnerships and anti-hegemony (as referenced at the Roundtable and by Carney, respectively), it can be argued that further flexibility should be awarded to those funded by GAC, and by extension, programs such as the IAP and the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI – a broader in scope funding stream that works with Canadian embassies across borders). This would not only contribute to successful operations that are more project-specific, but give organizations the ability to work as partners with Canada rather than beneficiaries. Canada, in its position as a middle power as Prime Minister Carney recognized, would do well to continue this support and put more confidence in the abilities of foreign organizations working towards goals that align with principal Canadian values. This includes, but is not limited to, equality, justice, and freedom of expression. All of which coincide with the rights demanded for by the 2SLGBTQI+ communities within our borders and abroad.
How can Canada achieve this? DNC highlights some key priorities that would keep Canada as a leader in fighting for queer rights and equality. Prime Minister Carney called for “acting consistently” and “building what we claim to believe in” to combat hard power and global hegemony. With our history as a leader in queer justice globally, it is important to be consistent on this front as well. A key starting point in broadening this call is increasing the participation of partners worldwide, including the unexpected relationships that Canada can build. One of the priorities the DNC highlights is strengthening embassy relationships – both with Canada and the regional communities they serve – which would empower local initiatives and strengthen Canada’s relationships with the people who look to the embassy for the CFLI and alliance. If Canada wants to call upon the middle powers of the world and their partners to fight increasing instability and fragmentation, a key starting point is at the local level.
The voices of local organizations, especially those of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, can often be subdued in global dialogue. This marginalization leads to a top-down approach to foreign aid, including in participatory development projects. The disconnect between these organizations and high-level GAC officials often boils down to disagreements on resource allocation, stringent financing structures, and application processes. People working in-community have a finger on the pulse of what is needed and how an organization can run smoothly in regional or cultural context. If Canada were to treat this knowledge with greater recognition, their local ‘partners’ could form a real partnership with the embassies and the GAC funds that intend to support them.
Within the country and in our international response to the harms created by diminishing protections for queer people, it is critical that these partnerships include the funding for organizational prosperity and capacity building. Whether this be with Canadian institutions
working globally, or with local organizations working on-the-ground abroad, it is critical that queer people be considered as equal partners in the process. This will be highlighted in more detail in the following Op-Ed of our Pride Series.
Prime Minister Carney recognizes the importance of strong coalitions in a breadth of priorities for the country. What is missing is the application on a more inclusive and expansive level where ‘unusual partnerships’ can be formed to advance Canada’s consistency. Not only as a hardworking multilateral partner on the world stage, but as an upholder of democracy, freedom, and justice for the communities that need it most.
Kailin Lee – Research Assistant, The Pearson Centre
References:
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/davos-2026-special-address-by-mark-carney-prime-minister-of-canada/
https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/free-to-be-me/federal-2slgbtqi-plus-action-plan/progress/government-investments.html
https://dignitynetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Canadas-Foreign-Policy-on-LGBTIQ-Rights-EN.pdf
https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/free-to-be-me/federal-2slgbtqi-plus-action-plan/federal-2slgbtqi-plus-action-plan-2022.html
https://nowtoronto.com/news/queer-organization-funding-reductions/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13563467.2021.1952558#d1e110
https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/stories/annual-report-2025-state-of-global-lgbtqi-persecution