Fondation Émergence: The Quebec Organization That Created a Day the World Now Marks
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Founded in Montreal in 2000, the non-profit launched what became the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and now trains Canadian employers on workplace inclusion.
A Quebec Non-Profit With International Reach
Fondation Émergence is a Quebec non-profit organisation founded in 2000, dedicated to informing and raising public awareness about sexual and gender diversity, and to defending the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
It was established on the initiative of Laurent McCutcheon, then head of the Montreal helpline and information service Gai Écoute, now known as Interligne. Its stated mission is to inform and sensitise the public to the realities of people of sexual and gender diversity, and its vision is to act for the emergence of an inclusive world.
The organisation’s most visible achievement came three years after its founding. In June 2003 it inaugurated the first national day against homophobia anywhere in the world, which subsequently became the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, marked annually on 17 May. The date references the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.
A Quebec organisation creating an observance now recognised internationally is an unusual outcome for a non-profit of this size, and it remains the clearest illustration of its reach.
The Workplace Programs Are the Business Connection
The element most relevant to this readership is the organisation’s work with employers.
In 2016, in collaboration with Aide aux trans du Québec, the foundation published what it describes as the first French-language guide to support businesses in including trans people. In 2020 it expanded that work into a program called ProAllié, aimed at promoting inclusive and respectful workplaces through training, support and tools.
In 2025 it launched Réseau Allié, a program bringing together and supporting businesses implementing significant LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives while adopting an inclusive approach in their own services.
The organisation is an accredited training body recognised by Quebec’s Commission des partenaires du marché du travail under the provincial law on workforce skills development. For Quebec employers, that accreditation is practically significant, since qualifying training expenditure counts toward obligations under that legislation.
Its services for organisations include in-person and online training, an online learning platform, conferences, personalised support and the creation of customised tools.
Five Areas of Expertise
The foundation organises its work across five fields: workplaces, seniors’ settings, caregiving, countering conversion practices, and the general public.
The seniors’ work dates to 2009, when the foundation and Gai Écoute launched a program with funding from Quebec’s ministry for families and seniors, aimed at training professionals working with older adults on LGBTQ+ realities. The organisation states the program is internationally recognised for its expertise.
The caregiving field addresses a population the foundation describes as very large, noting estimates that more than one adult in three in Quebec is a caregiver at some point.
On conversion practices, the foundation played a role in the adoption of Quebec’s December 2020 law protecting people from conversion therapy, and continues awareness work through a dedicated program.
Governance and Funding
The foundation is governed by a board of directors chaired by president Élodie Palluet, with Alexandre Geleyn as treasurer and Samuel Tremblay as secretary, alongside six further directors. The staff team is led by executive director Laurent Breault and includes trainers, content specialists, an events and mobilisation lead, an administration and operations coordinator and a program officer.
Its named financial partners include Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, SACAIS, Dignity Network Canada, Equitas, Desjardins and the TD Ready Commitment.
The foundation publishes annual activity reports covering each year from 2019-2020 onward, which is a level of public reporting that not every organisation of this size maintains.
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