Canada’s Hidden History: the LGBT Purge

Canada is internationally recognized for its inclusive and diverse community, guided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, Canada’s past has not always been inclusive to the 2SLGBTQIAA+ community. Beginning in the 1950s, and lasting until the 1990s, the Government of Canada systematically outed, demoted, and fired hundreds of LGBTQ+ public servants from their jobs on account of their identity. The lived experiences of these Canadians reflect a past of hatred, exclusion and homophobia.

The LGBT Purge 

The LGBT Purge was one of Canada’s largest-scale human rights workplace violations in all of Canadian history. The LGBT Purge refers to the decades-long campaign by Canadian government institutions to expose and remove LGBTQ+ employees from positions in public service, military, and national security agencies. Between the 1950s and 1990s, nearly ten thousand Royal Canadian Mountain Police, military officers, and government staff were dismissed from their positions simply on the basis of their sexual orientation and identity.  This systematic discrimination not only prompted accusations of queer identities, but outed queer Canadians in some instances, with many experiencing abuse, interrogation, and stalking (LGBT Purge, n.d.). Careers were ruined throughout the 40 years of the Purge, leading to denial of pensions, and benefits, and even driving those affected into unemployment, often without severance packages (Royal Canadian Mountain Police, 2025). 

These consequences were not incidental, but rather appeared to be rooted in the broader issue of fear intrinsic to the Cold War era. During this time, scapegoating of marginalized groups became a frequent occurrence, with queer and trans people being targeted due to homophobic policies that purported them to be “vulnerable to blackmail.” 

During this time, traditionally safe spaces for the queer community became unsafe. The bar in the basement of the Lord Elgin Hotel, for instance, began to regularly recruit the RCMP to surveil hotel staff, with the intent of identifying LGBTQ+ social servants. To keep one another safe, the community began to communicate with one another, warning each other when they detected surveillant activity. This community care became the foundation for queer resistance in the face of danger and hatred.

Canada’s Queer Community 

Today, there are many issues facing 2SLGBTQIAA+ Canadians. Housing insecurity remains a major issue; with approximately 28% of LGBTQ youth reportedly experiencing homelessness or housing instability at some point in their lives (Trevor Project, 2021). Queer, trans and gender-diverse individuals also face disproportional rates of abuse, while nearly 77 per cent of queer youth experience bullying and harassment. (WAGE, 2026).

Despite these ongoing challenges, Canada has made progress in advancing the rights and recognition of 2SLGBTQIAA+ Canadians. In 2003, Ontario and British Columbia were the first of eleven provinces to legalize gay marriage. In 2005, the federal Civil Marriage Act was passed, legalizing gay marriage across the country. The 2006 census was the first time queer couples were captured in statistical reporting, revealing there were 45,000 couples across the country (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2024). 

Since then, 2SLGBTQIAA+ individuals, advocates and allies across the country have continued to be trailblazers in obtaining rights, and stood on the front lines to defend others.

Government Accountability

In November of 2017, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology to those who were targeted, dismissed, and harmed by the LGBT Purge. In this formal apology, issued in parliament, the Prime Minister recognized the damage done through “systemic oppression” to the thousands of civil servants, military personnel and officers.  He tearfully assured Canada’s 2SLGBTQIAA+ community, stating “We were wrong, we are sorry, and we will never let this happen again,“. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued, addressing many of the affected Canadians directly as they sat in the House: “Today, we offer a long overdue apology to all those whom we, the Government of Canada, wronged. We are sorry. We hope by acknowledging our failings we can make the crucial progress LGBTQ2 people in Canada deserve.” – The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada (2017).

Love in a Dangerous Time 

The Canadian Human Rights Museum, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, unveiled their exhibition ‘Love in a Dangerous Time’ on January 31st 2025. The curation of this exhibition was led by Scott De Groot, with support from survivors of the Purge, as well as the LGBT Purge Fund. 

It has been acclaimed by many, centering the lived experience of the Canadians affected by these harmful policies. This powerful display of a devastating time in Canadian history offers an interactive opportunity to read many Canadians’ first-hand accounts of queer love and identities in a dangerous time, and owning their authentic selves in the face of hatred.

While the carefully crafted exhibit tells many devastating stories of abuse, psychological harm, and oppression, it also shares moments of joy, love and queer resistance. 

The exhibit includes a replica interrogation room, Indigenous perspectives on Canada’s 2SLGBTQIAA+ community and mixed media art installations. Above all, the ‘Love in a Dangerous Time’ exhibition by the Canadian Human Rights Museum provides Canadians to reflect on the ways that they support and uplift marginalized communities, and hold their governments accountable.

Original photo taken January 2026 at the Love in a Dangerous Time Exhibit

No one should feel pressured to come out before they are ready, and no one should be made to feel unsafe or have their privacy taken away from them. As we reflect on Canada’s history, we are reminded that we must continue to learn from the mistakes of the past, and in doing so, actively work toward a more inclusive future. We all have roles to play in ensuring past transgressions are not repeated, and that marginalized communities feel safe and supported.

Call to Action

1. Reflect on the current issues that 2SLGBTQIAA+ individuals continue to face across the country.

2. Identify ways you can strengthen your allyship. 

3. Learn more about Canada’s LGBT Purge and organizations working to support 2SLGBTQIAA+ individuals across the country:

• LGBT Purge Fund

• Canadian Human Rights Museum

• The Canadian Encyclopedia 

• Egale

• PFlag Canada

• Advocacy Canada LGBT

• The Trevor Project

Writer: Marilynn Burch-Harvey

Works Cited

• “Facts and Statistics: Gender-Based Violence.” Government of Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-based-violence/facts-stats.html.

• “History of RCMP-2SLGBTQI+ Relations.” Royal Canadian Mounted Police, https://rcmp.ca/en/history-rcmp/2slgbtqi-relations.

• “Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth.” The Trevor Project, Feb. 2022, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Trevor-Project-Homelessness-Report.pdf.

• “Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada’s LGBT Purge.” Canadian Museum for Human Rights, https://humanrights.ca/exhibition/love-in-a-dangerous-time-canadas-lgbt-purge.

• “LGBT Purge.” Canadian Museum for Human Rights, https://humanrights.ca/resource-guide/lgbt-purge.

• “LGBTQ Purge in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lgbtq-purge-in-canada.

• “Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians.” Prime Minister of Canada, 28 Nov. 2017, https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2017/11/28/prime-minister-delivers-apology-lgbtq2-canadians.

• “Same-Sex Marriage in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/same-sex-marriage-in-canada.

• “Canadian Rights and Freedoms.” McGill University, https://www.mcgill.ca/dise/files/dise/cdn_rights.pdf.