Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 7.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Pierre Poilievre offered further support for Alberta’s controversial policy on transgendered youth on Wednesday, endorsing the province’s move to stop treating young people with puberty blockers.
During a news conference on Parliament Hill, the federal Conservative Leader answered “yes” when asked by a journalist to confirm, in the context of Alberta’s proposed policy, that he was against the use of puberty blockers for people under 18.
As part of the Alberta program, Ms. Smith said kids under 16 will not be allowed to access puberty blockers or hormone therapy for the purpose of gender affirmation, save for those who have already started such treatments.
In people assigned male at birth, puberty blockers limit the growth of male genitalia and prevent the voice from deepening. In people assigned female at birth, the blockers limit breast development and stop menstruation.
Mr. Poilievre also said the government should protect the rights of parents to make decisions for their children.
“I think we should protect children in their ability to make adult decisions when they are adults,” he said as he arrived for the weekly Conservative caucus meeting.
“I believe that adults should have the right to make any decision they want about their bodies,” he added.
Ms. Smith announced a series of proposed policies last week limiting transgender rights, including restricting access to medical treatments for youth and excluding transgender athletes from women’s sporting competitions.
The Alberta Premier was in Toronto Wednesday to meet with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, but their spokespeople said they were discussing economic issues and transgender policy was not on the agenda.
On Parliament Hill, Mr. Trudeau criticized Mr. Poilievre and Ms. Smith’s positions on the transgender issue.
“What Mr. Poilievre and Ms. Smith are proposing is to take away the rights of parents and their kids to make the right choices for them with their doctors. We don’t think government should be doing that,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on Feb. 7 that he opposes the use of puberty blockers for transgender kids. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Poilievre wants to take away the rights of parents and kids to make the right choices for them with their doctors. And NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Poilievre is attacking vulnerable communities.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Trudeau said the actions of the Mr. Poilievre and Ms. Smith are anchored in ideology and not about protecting the most vulnerable.
“Our government will always stand up for the most vulnerable, including our trans youth,” he said.
Pollster Nik Nanos said that when politicians focus on transgender policies, it means they are not talking about issues like housing affordability and paying for the groceries.
“The risk for Trudeau is that being so motivated on this it makes him look like he is more passionate about gender identity politics than the struggle Canadians have to pay the bills,” the chief data scientist for Nanos Research said in a statement,
“Poilievre’s challenge is to stay away from social issues which may undermine his momentum in the polls.”
In Alberta, Ms. Smith’s policies prompted student-led walkouts on Wednesday, involving hundreds of students across both major cities and some smaller communities.
Dozens of students at Western High School in downtown Calgary marched outside into the cold, chanting “protect trans youth” and holding posters, one of which read “our outrage does not fit on a poster.”
Fletcher Morrison, a Grade 11 student, said school was the first place, roughly three years ago, that he felt safe coming out as transgender and using a different name.
“Now, I’m comfortable with who I am,” Mr. Morrison said. “If we take away a student’s right to use their preferred name in school, they wouldn’t have the same journey that I had that was really helpful. They wouldn’t be able to feel safe and supported.”
He said that since the announcement, there has been a noticeable increase in anti-trans rhetoric in school and online.
Another student, 16-year-old Yomade Akapo, said her peers have expressed fear and worry about their parents finding out about their preferred pronouns or names. She said others are concerned about access to gender-affirming care.
“I don’t think she understands how she’s affecting these kids, how she’s affecting their mental health,” said Ms. Akapo about Ms. Smith. “It’s just a violation of human rights. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
A handful of adults also showed up to the protest at Western, including Kathryn Smith, who is transgender and non-binary. It was important to show transgender students that there are people who love and support them, they said.
“What they really need is just community standing behind them,” they said. “We need a government who actually supports us and who actually has health care that is sustainable, that is helpful.”