As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
CTV
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
His position on the issue was swiftly met with pushback from his political opponents who accused him of trying to take away Canadians' rights, members of the trans community and their families who expressed the importance of access to affirming care, and a former federal Conservative candidate, who accused the party of selling out the transgender community.
Facing a series of questions from reporters on Parliament Hill about his stance on gender-affirming medical care for children, Poilievre said, in his view, no one under the age of 18 should be allowed to use hormone therapies that help delay puberty-related development for gender reassignment purposes.
"I think we should protect the rights of parents to make their own decisions with regards to their children. And I believe that adults should have the freedom to make any decision they want about their bodies," he said.
Last week, Smith released a social media video pre-positioning her plans to advance a series of changes around pronouns in schools and access to gender-affirming health care.
Framing the package in terms of "parental involvement" and "preserving choice," Smith's government is pursuing:
In the video, the premier said she was "not comfortable" permitting "prematurely encouraging or enabling children to alter their very biology or natural growth, no matter how well intentioned," while vowing to "strictly" enforce child protection laws in cases where trans youth are rejected or abused by their parent.
