Article content continued

He specified in a tweet the government department is not eliminating the use of Mr. or Ms.

“Let us be clear, @ServiceCanada—E 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.”

Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS

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.

We are only confirming how people want to be addressed as a matter of respect. Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos

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.”

Photo by Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS

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.