Canadian conservatives divided over trans policy

[Devlyn]

Canadian conservatives divided over trans policy

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/14/canada-anti-transgender-danielle-smith-doug-ford-politics

Leyland Cecco     14 Feb 2024


Canadian conservatives divided over trans policy

At the end of January, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, announced a list of policy changes targeting transgender youth in the Canadian province, including a ban on hormonal treatment, puberty blockers and gender-confirmation surgery for children 15 years old and younger. The move marked the most restrictive rules on gender confirmation in the country.

A few days later, Doug Ford – the Conservative premier of Ontario, and one of the most influential politicians in Canada – was asked whether his government intended to follow Smith's policies. "No," he told reporters. "We have a lot here, and we're leaving everything alone."


The two conservative leaders' contrasting views on care for transgender youth highlight the limits of a culture war apparently imported to Canada from the United States. The issue, which affects only a slim minority of youth across the country, has nonetheless sharply divided political leaders within the conservative movement, with some believing it is a losing political issue that puts them on the wrong side of public opinion.