Agreement in principle reached in class action against government alleging LGBTQ discrimination

OTTAWA – A lawyer says a group of people seeking to sue the government over alleged state-sanctioned persecution for their sexual orientation have reached an agreement in principle.

Doug Elliott says details of the agreement will be released on Tuesday to coincide with the apology.

The agreement comes ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promised apology, which will acknowledge how members of the military, RCMP and civil service were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation between the 1950s and 1990s.

READ MORE: Bill to clear past convictions for consensual same-sex activity coming Tuesday

Plaintiffs in the proposed class-action said they were persecuted and forced out of their jobs in the military and federal government.

Trudeau will also address people outside those circles who were convicted of criminal charges linked to consensual sexual activity with same-sex partners.

Also on Tuesday, the Liberal government will introduce legislation to expunge the criminal records of Canadians previously convicted of consensual sex with same-sex partners.