Michelle Rempel (Calgary) voted against transgender protections last time they were before the House of Commons. That Bill was introduced by NDP MP Randall Garrison.

She spoke in favor of Bill C-16 last Friday.

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What often unifies our weakest moments, the moments when we inflict damage upon others, the moments that linger in our minds as regret long after they happened, the moments we later need to ask forgiveness for or make recompense for, is a failure to seek to grant compassion to others.

Compassion ought to be the goal of legislators. It's a common thread in religious faith. It requires humility, empathy, and a departure from dogma.

In our worst moments, it is compassion that saves us.

Our rights are so precious and so fragile and for us as legislators, if we cannot acknowledge when inequality exists and we cannot rectify that, then we are doing something wrong.

--Rempel

Rempel voted against Garrison’s bill, she said, because she thought the changes it proposed would only result in symbolic action.

I was wrong. In the last three years, I have watched this community face bigotry, more discrimination, and becoming a flashpoint for fights we should no longer be having in Canada.

It’s clear that provinces, employers, and transgender Canadians cannot move forward without the law in place

All 40 votes against C-16 last month came from Tories.

Brad Trost, contending for Tory leadership, claimed passing the bill would endanger children in public restrooms.

it is wrong to make a value judgement that trans Canadians are more likely to prey on people in public washrooms.

The bill fits squarely with what it means to be a Conservative. The party’s guiding principles promised progressive social policy and a commitment to individual rights as well as fiscal accountability.

I believe in the capacity of my colleagues across party lines to be compassionate, to be strong, to stand up for Canada, and to stand up for what is good, what is just and what is beautiful.

--Rempel