10/02/2026
HRI is heading to Parliament Hill!
On October 6, Hope for Refugees International (HRI) will join 2SLGBTQIA+, human rights, feminist, labour and allied organizations from across Canada in Ottawa for the National Q***r Day of Action.
Together, we will bring community priorities directly to federal decision-makers and join the national call for a renewed and expanded Federal 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan backed by sustained federal investment.
For HRI, this advocacy has a particular importance.
Black, African, LGBTQI+ refugees, asylum seekers and newcomers come to Canada seeking safety, dignity and the freedom to live authentically. But reaching Canada does not automatically remove the barriers people experience.
Our communities continue to navigate the intersections of anti-Black racism, homophobia and transphobia, housing insecurity, employment barriers, poverty, immigration and settlement challenges, and difficulties accessing culturally responsive services.
That is why we are going to Parliament Hill.
HRI will advocate for a renewed Action Plan that:
🏳️🌈 Explicitly recognizes LGBTQI+ refugees and newcomers and their settlement, housing, employment, health, safety and immigration realities.
✊🏿 Invests in Black, racialized, refugee-led and newcomer-led 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations through accessible, predictable and multi-year funding.
🗣️ Creates meaningful space for lived experience and refugee leadership in federal policy, funding and decision-making.
📊 Strengthens accountability so we can see whether federal investments are actually reaching communities that have historically been underserved.
Canada should not only provide LGBTQI+ refugees with protection from persecution. People must also have a fair opportunity to build safe, dignified and thriving lives in Canada.
On October 6, we are taking that message to Parliament Hill.
Nothing about our communities without our communities.
