Openly lesbian cabinet minister to make history with parental leave

globalnews.ca:

Pascale St-Onge is set to make history by becoming the first openly lesbian cabinet minister to take parental leave when her wife gives birth in the coming weeks.“I’m not someone who really likes to talk about myself or my personal life either,” St-Onge said in an interview with The Canadian Press.The Quebec MP said she decided to speak publicly about her parental leave because she has “a responsibility to continue the fight” for LGBTQ rights.St-Onge smiled as she described “the joy” of soon welcoming a baby into her life, which she described as “an incredible experience that many humans go through and that some take for granted.”Her wife’s pregnancy is going very well, St-Onge said, with a due date in November. The timing, though unplanned, is almost perfect as the House of Commons will rise for the holidays in mid-December, she added.St-Onge plans to leave Ottawa and work virtually starting in early November.

She will be able to attend debates in the House of Commons and vote remotely, as well as take part in cabinet and ministerial committee meetings, and make decisions as a minister.“After the birth, I’ll definitely be reducing my public presence for a few weeks, but I’ll still be voting until the House rises,” she said.St-Onge is not naming her wife in order to protect her privacy and spare her partner from the hateful comments and emails the minister receives from people she says are “trying to silence us.” She pointed to an increase in hate crimes against LGBTQ people in Canada in recent years.A union leader for many years, St-Onge was first elected in 2021 in the riding of Brome — Missisquoi in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. She said she’s committed to fight for people who feel abandoned, and said the Liberals want