No more gendered toilets
in the Canadian Parliament
As part of the renovation of the Canadian Parliament, the government has decided to scrap all gender-based washrooms. LGBTQ+ rights groups hope Ottawa will set an example for provinces and territories.
The approximately 200 washrooms in the Centre Block and the Parliament Welcome Centre will be gender-free.
More than half will be individual washrooms [...] accessible to all genders, confirms Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) spokeswoman Michèle LaRose.
These are private facilities, consisting of a single toilet and sink, intended for the use of one person at a time.
In addition, 70 washrooms are designed to be barrier-free, meaning they will be wheelchair accessible, Larose added.
And another 15 toilets will be universally accessible so that they are barrier-free [and] provide additional manoeuvring space. These toilets will have their own sink.
Can we call all these toilets mixed? The spokesperson for PSPC, Michèle LaRose, replied that the washrooms will be designed to be inclusive and accessible to all.
Moreover, there will no longer be urinals in Parliament.
Before the renovation work at Parliament, there were 210 toilets there. Of these, 87 were communal toilets specifically for men. They had 40 urinals. For their part, women had access to 55 shared toilets. There were also about sixty private toilets.
A step forward for people of gender diversityThe abolition of gendered washrooms in Parliament is a major change for trans and gender diversity groups.
Jason Bett, head of the Public Service Pride Network, believes it's great to know that the rehabilitation was guided by the principles of inclusion and accessibility.
In an email, Bett says that's exactly how it should be.
With gender-neutral toilets, we don't have to ask ourselves the question, if I take this toilet, will I be looked at, will I get comments? Will people find it strange that I'm in that place? says the president of Trans Outaouais, Lionel Lehouillier.
Am I trampling on my own integrity as an individual, am I disrespecting my identity by using this or that toilet? he continues.
The president of Trans Outaouais says he himself asks himself all these questions when he is in a place without universal toilets.
There is a lot of mental planning that goes into the minds of gender-diverse people when it comes to using a toilet," says Lionel Lehouillier.
Ottawa sends a political message?It's a very broad message of inclusion," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
Without wanting to describe the future washrooms of Parliament as gender-neutral, the Liberal minister says that the restoration of Parliament is an opportunity to provide appropriate sanitary facilities [...] that meet the expectations and needs of Canadians.
Parliament's new toilets will be adapted to the needs of the 2030s and beyond, the minister insists.
The goal is for all Canadians to feel comfortable in these facilities, which are going to be modern. We invest a lot of money to make it modern, adapted, inclusive, welcoming, safe and intimate.
Political scientist Geneviève Tellier believes that Justin Trudeau's Liberal government sees this project as an opportunity to send a message.
"Mr. Trudeau, we see him campaigning for the cause of women, for the cause of minorities, racialized populations, and I have the impression that [this] is part of Mr. Trudeau's desire to change things, and he also doesn't hesitate to shake up the way things are done and to propose new avenues," said Ms. Tellier. who is a professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa
It testifies to a change in morals, but also to the desire to discuss it and to affirm the rights of minorities.
A quote fromGeneviève Tellier, Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of OttawaOttawa is certainly setting an example for the Canadian population, adds Geneviève Tellier.
The challenge for the government will be to do this transformation well so as not to create other problems. It will be in the details, Ms. Tellier believes, because the subject of washrooms is sensitive.
She suggests that once things are pretty normal, because it's the established order, other governments could change their way of doing things.
Open in full-screen modeAccording to Geneviève Tellier, "once things are pretty normal because it's in the established order, other governments could change their way of doing things."
An example for provincial governmentsThe president of Trans Outaouais, Lionel Lehouillier, believes that this is a great way to lead by example, but also to give a concrete example of how it can be done [and that] it can be done.
He wants the provinces and territories to follow the federal government's lead and focus on more accessible and inclusive places.
"We're not asking everyone to bulldozer and destroy every toilet in the country," says Olivia Baker, a trainer and specialist in people inclusion LGBTQ+ in the workplace at the Fondation Émergence. But as we do renovations, we can try
to make it more inclusive for everyone," she insists.
Lionel Lehouillier deplores the fact that, unfortunately, in many provinces, there is a big rise in hate. According to him, more and more provincial governments are a little more rigid and resistant to accessibility, diversity and inclusion, especially when it comes to gendered spaces.
There is no consensus on the layout of washrooms, there are a lot of fears associated with it, notes Ms. Baker. In Quebec in particular, she has observed what she describes as a visceral fear of mixed toilets, since a petition was launched to denounce a school's intention to transform toilets into a "mixed comfort station".
Olivia Baker of Fondation Émergence believes that institutions like the federal government that make their washrooms more inclusive will be able to normalize this and reduce people's fears. Baker hopes people will realize that inclusive washrooms are literally just washrooms, a little bit like what we have at home.
However, the president of Trans Outaouais fears that the inclusive washroom project in Parliament will never materialize. Of course, it's fun to have this initiative, but it comes with a grain of salt from what will happen in the next election because the polls are not on the Liberals' side," says Lionel Lehouillier.
The Conservative Party of Canada declined to comment on the transformation. It's more about seeing if there is discomfort for men and women to be in the same toilet, but I think it depends on what kind of toilet it is and how it is integrated, said MP Pierre Paul-Hus.
Creation of a new federal washroom guideIn addition, the federal government is currently developing an inclusive [washroom] design guide
to be used in PSPCsaid spokeswoman Michèle LaRose.
The guide will offer implementation options, including an approach for showers and locker rooms, she said.
Unlike Parliament, other federal buildings will continue to have gendered washrooms, LaRose warned. The government wants to add inclusive washrooms to provide different options.
The PSPC is to add inclusive [washrooms] in renovation or retrofit projects, not to eliminate gendered washrooms.
In April 2021, Ottawa developed a government direction on toilets. The goal is to have at least one universal access washroom in each building. Currently, just over 82% of federal buildings meet this criterion.
There is a lot of mental planning that goes into the minds of gender-diverse people when it comes to using a toilet," says Lionel Lehouillier.
Ottawa sends a political message?It's a very broad message of inclusion," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
Without wanting to describe the future washrooms of Parliament as gender-neutral, the Liberal minister says that the restoration of Parliament is an opportunity to provide appropriate sanitary facilities [...] that meet the expectations and needs of Canadians.
Parliament's new toilets will be adapted to the needs of the 2030s and beyond, the minister insists.
The goal is for all Canadians to feel comfortable in these facilities, which are going to be modern. We invest a lot of money to make it modern, adapted, inclusive, welcoming, safe and intimate.
Political scientist Geneviève Tellier believes that Justin Trudeau's Liberal government sees this project as an opportunity to send a message.
"Mr. Trudeau, we see him campaigning for the cause of women, for the cause of minorities, racialized populations, and I have the impression that [this] is part of Mr. Trudeau's desire to change things, and he also doesn't hesitate to shake up the way things are done and to propose new avenues," said Ms. Tellier. who is a professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa
It testifies to a change in morals, but also to the desire to discuss it and to affirm the rights of minorities.
A quote fromGeneviève Tellier, Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of OttawaOttawa is certainly setting an example for the Canadian population, adds Geneviève Tellier.
The challenge for the government will be to do this transformation well so as not to create other problems. It will be in the details, Ms. Tellier believes, because the subject of washrooms is sensitive.
She suggests that once things are pretty normal, because it's the established order, other governments could change their way of doing things.
Open in full-screen modeAccording to Geneviève Tellier, "once things are pretty normal because it's in the established order, other governments could change their way of doing things."
An example for provincial governmentsThe president of Trans Outaouais, Lionel Lehouillier, believes that this is a great way to lead by example, but also to give a concrete example of how it can be done [and that] it can be done.
He wants the provinces and territories to follow the federal government's lead and focus on more accessible and inclusive places.
"We're not asking everyone to bulldozer and destroy every toilet in the country," says Olivia Baker, a trainer and specialist in people inclusion LGBTQ+ in the workplace at the Fondation Émergence. But as we do renovations, we can try
to make it more inclusive for everyone," she insists.
Lionel Lehouillier deplores the fact that, unfortunately, in many provinces, there is a big rise in hate. According to him, more and more provincial governments are a little more rigid and resistant to accessibility, diversity and inclusion, especially when it comes to gendered spaces.
There is no consensus on the layout of washrooms, there are a lot of fears associated with it, notes Ms. Baker. In Quebec in particular, she has observed what she describes as a visceral fear of mixed toilets, since a petition was launched to denounce a school's intention to transform toilets into a "mixed comfort station".
Olivia Baker of Fondation Émergence believes that institutions like the federal government that make their washrooms more inclusive will be able to normalize this and reduce people's fears. Baker hopes people will realize that inclusive washrooms are literally just washrooms, a little bit like what we have at home.
However, the president of Trans Outaouais fears that the inclusive washroom project in Parliament will never materialize. Of course, it's fun to have this initiative, but it comes with a grain of salt from what will happen in the next election because the polls are not on the Liberals' side," says Lionel Lehouillier.
The Conservative Party of Canada declined to comment on the transformation. It's more about seeing if there is discomfort for men and women to be in the same toilet, but I think it depends on what kind of toilet it is and how it is integrated, said MP Pierre Paul-Hus.
Creation of a new federal washroom guideIn addition, the federal government is currently developing an inclusive [washroom] design guide
to be used in PSPCsaid spokeswoman Michèle LaRose.
The guide will offer implementation options, including an approach for showers and locker rooms, she said.
Unlike Parliament, other federal buildings will continue to have gendered washrooms, LaRose warned. The government wants to add inclusive washrooms to provide different options.
The PSPC is to add inclusive [washrooms] in renovation or retrofit projects, not to eliminate gendered washrooms.
In April 2021, Ottawa developed a government direction on toilets. The goal is to have at least one universal access washroom in each building. Currently, just over 82% of federal buildings meet this criterion.