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.
``Let us be clear, ServiceCanada 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.