Curriculum Guide: ECHO – Equality, Rights & Recognition

25 Years Since the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act

Grades 9–12 | Duration: 2–3 class periods
Theme: Legal equality, LGBTQ+ rights in Canada, community activism, and legislative change

🎯 Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the historical impact of Bill C‑23 (Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act)

  • Appreciate how community activism and political collaboration led to legal equality

  • Analyze personal and political stories that shaped Canadian LGBTQ+ history

  • Encourage empathy, inclusive values, and civic participation

🧠 Activities

  1. Bill C‑23 Case Study Discussion (approx. 40 min)
    Materials: Summary handout, key quotes from Never Going Back

    • Students read excerpts on how same‑sex couples gained rights under the Act.

    • Discuss: What rights changed? How did Bill C‑23 shift legal status? Why is it significant?

  2. Timeline and Activist Profiles
    Materials: Chart paper or digital timeline tools

    • In small groups, create a timeline from Never Going Back and Prairie Fairies highlighting legal milestones and activists (e.g. M v. H, Bill C‑23).

    • Include profiles: e.g. Stanley Moore, Libby Davies, Two‑Spirit leaders.

  3. Role‑play Debate: Voices of 2000
    Materials: Role cards (activist, MP, critic, civil servant)

    • Students debate the merits and criticisms of Bill C‑23 from different perspectives.

  4. Literature Circle / Creative Project
    Materials: One of the recommended books (see below) per group

    • Small groups choose a book, discuss themes, and either present reflections or create art/projects (e.g. posters, zines, spoken word).

  5. Reflective Writing / Civic Letter

    • Students write a reflective essay or letter to a policymaker on why legal equality matters today.

📚 Recommended Resources (real books)

  • Never Going Back: A History of Queer Activism in Canada by Tom Warner (2002) — an oral‑history rich account of LGBTQ+ activism and legislative change in Canada

  • Prairie Fairies: A History of Queer Communities and People in Western Canada, 1930–1985 by Valerie Korinek (2018) — regional history of queer organizing in the Prairies

  • Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead (2018) — a contemporary Two‑Spirit narrative combining queerness and Indigeneity

  • Queer History A to Z (Kids Can Press, 2024) — middle‑grade friendly reference for key queer historical figures in Canada