Ontario protesters are rallying in support of transgender youth as Alberta’s premier visits the province, after she recently announced new policies that restrict youth from undergoing gender-affirming surgeries.
The transgender community isn’t letting up on Danielle Smith after she announced the new provincial policies last week that would see limited options for trans children 17 and under.
The proposed restrictions in Alberta also include requiring parental consent for students aged 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school, as well as a ban on gender-affirming hormone therapy, unless the treatment has already started.
On Monday, Smith appeared at an event in Ottawa where she spoke to the Economic Club of Canada. The event drew a large crowd of protesters who called for Canada to protect trans kids.
Then on Tuesday, Smith was met with another crowd in Toronto while attending an event at the Albany Club on Church street, which is located in an LGBT-oriented enclave in the city.
Some chants included “F**k off Danielle Smith” and “ F**k off transphobe.”
Today, Smith met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford for breakfast at his home in Etobicoke.
Ford has said earlier this week that Ontario has no plans of replicating Alberta’s new transgender policies.
WHAT DID PREMIER DANIELLE SMITH DO?
Exactly one week ago, the premier addressed Albertans in a video where she claimed that allowing permanent decisions regarding youth’s biological sex would no doubt limit a child’s choices in the future, and that as premier she was not comfortable allowing it.
Following the policy announcement, both the trans community, advocates and allies condemned her new set of restrictive rules and said it was doing more harm than good.
This sentiment was also echoed by many Canadian political leaders including Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien, MPP for Toronto Centre Kristyn Wong-Tam, Canada’s Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough and federal justice minister Arif Virani.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also no exception. On Friday, he told reporters where he stood on the matter.
“LGBTQ youth across this country are amongst the most vulnerable. We need to be there to defend them [and] protect them,” Trudeau said.
“It is telling that a week after welcoming far right Conservative Tucker Carlson to her province to sit with him on stage, Danielle Smith has now moved forward with the most anti-LGBT policies of anywhere in the country,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters that Trudeau was just trying to distract Canadians and take the heat off himself for once.
“He is spreading disinformation on this subject and it’s time for Justin Trudeau to stop distracting and dividing Canadians. Let parents raise kids and provinces run schools and hospitals,” he said.
