(LifeSiteNews) — On Monday, LGBT activists launched another salvo at parental consent laws in the prairie provinces and Alberta’s ban on sex-change surgeries for minors.
At a press conference in Ottawa, five LGBT groups called for a House of Commons inquiry into four laws: In Alberta, the Health Statutes Amendment Act (the ban on sex changes for minors); the Education Amendment Act (parental notification for “social transitioning” and opt-in option for LGBT/sex education); and the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act (limits female sports to females only). They also cited Saskatchewan’s Parents’ Bill of Rights.
Three of the groups – Queer Momentum, The Enchanté Network, and Saskatoon Pride – have received substantial federal funding over the years. Pride Corner and TransAction Alberta were also present. The groups were not requesting a federal public inquiry, but a parliamentary study undertaken by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights or the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
“Trans and gender diverse advocates from Alberta and Saskatchewan … call on the House of Commons to undertake an inquiry into the suspension of transgender young peoples’ charter-protected rights in their provinces, and call on the Government of Canada to take action to uphold the freedom, rights and equality of 2SLGBTQIA+ people across Canada,” stated the media advisory.
The LGBT activists claimed that the provincial laws, enacted to protect gender-dysphoric youth from the irreversible damage of transgender “treatments,” have “escalated harassment, bullying, and mental health harms for transgender people,” according to the Canadian Press. They also claimed that some people were moving to other provinces as a result of the legislation, and asked that the government bring trans-identifying people to Ottawa to tell their stories.
“If we permit governments to weaken the Charter and the rights it guarantees, we will soon live in a country where those rights – rights that keep us all safe and free – are at risk and will only in fact exist on paper,” stated Fae Johnstone of Queer Momentum. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe both invoked the notwithstanding clause to protect their legislation from court challenges, and LGBT activists have been searching for another strategy.
Thus far, the LGBT groups have received no response to their request.
