OTTAWA — The federal government’s blanket ban preventing people from some Ebola-affected countries from entering Canada is keeping Ugandan activists from attending a major LGBTQ+ rights conference in Ottawa.
“We really want to highlight the important role that Canada plays in providing support to human rights movements in the region,” said Doug Kerr, head of Dignity Network Canada, a coalition of Canadian groups advocating for LGBTQ+ rights globally.
The government of Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last week a 90-day suspension of various travel documents for people living in Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing the threat of Ebola.
When announcing the policy on May 26, Health Minister Marjorie Michel told reporters it was “not a question of science” and that people were “traumatized” by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kerr said the policy is barring three Ugandans who had been set to speak at a conference next week and to meet with MPs and foreign service officials about violent repression in Uganda and how Canada is supporting those affected.
“The anti-rights movements have really picked up on targeting LGBTQI people as a fairly easy target, and they’re having some success around the world on that, but that makes Canada’s role all the more important,” he said.
“Countries like Russia and the United States are working actively against the human rights of our communities.”
Uganda introduced a law in 2023 prescribing the death penalty for what it calls “aggravated homosexuality” and life imprisonment for other homosexual acts. The move came after advocacy by U.S.-based evangelical groups and the Russian government.
The House of Commons subcommittee on human rights has been hearing testimony about the crackdown, which has undermined efforts to eliminate HIV and has led some Ugandans to seek asylum in neighbouring countries.
Kerr said Uganda’s policies have inspired similar moves in other countries, including Senegal, Ghana and Belarus.
“It really is a focal point for the anti-LGBT movements,” he said. “It’s a very strong human-rights movement in Uganda that is fighting back against this, so it was really important for us to highlight this.”
The World Health Organization has asked countries like Canada to drop their blanket bans, arguing they only make it harder to stop the epidemic. The offices of Michel and of Immigration Minister Lena Diab have not responded to requests for comment.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
