The Alberta government has tabled three bills worth celebrating! Bill 26 protects children from harmful “gender affirming” pharmaceutical and surgical interference. Bill 27 prevents schools from socially transitioning children at school without their parents’ knowledge and provides greater parental control and oversight over children’s education on topics related to sexuality and gender. Finally, Bill 29 protects female-only sports for students. More on these bills below.
If you’re an Albertan, we encourage you to send a note to your MLA urging him or her to support these bills. You might also send a note of thanks to the Premier. If you live outside Alberta, send your MLA or MPP a note making them aware of these policies and asking them to follow Alberta’s lead.
Bill 26: Health Statutes Amendment Act
If passed into law, Bill 26 will prohibit healthcare professionals from prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to treat gender dysphoria for those 15 and under. The bill would allow minors aged 16 and 17 who are already receiving these drugs to continue, and allow other 16- or 17-year-olds to receive such drugs only if they have approval from a parent, physician, and psychologist. There are no restrictions for those aged 18+.
Bill 26 would also prohibit surgeries on minors (17 and under) for the purpose of “gender affirmation.” The bill lists 10 surgeries that would be prohibited, including mastectomy (breast removal), breast implants, hysterectomy, and penectomy (penis removal).
The bill is “entirely reasonable” and “wholly in line with safeguards being introduced in a number of European countries.” – Dr. Edward Les
Dr. Edward Les, a Canadian paediatrician, calls the bill “entirely reasonable” and “wholly in line with safeguards being introduced in a number of European countries.” But he would like to see it go further, by not making exceptions for children who are already on puberty blockers or hormones before the bill becomes law, since it’s harmful to them too. “Poison is poison,” he says. Dr. Les’s commentary is worth reading in full.
One weakness of the bill is that it uses the term “sex assigned at birth.” Although this terminology is common in our culture and government, it can and should be avoided. It implies that sex is a socially constructed concept, a label assigned by a doctor rather than a biological reality. Several states in the US have legislated on this subject using the terms “biological sex,” “genetic sex,” or simply “sex,” which can be defined in law as being based on a person’s biological reproductive system at birth.
Nevertheless, we celebrate this bill as a giant step in the right direction that all Canadian provinces should follow to protect children from irreversible medical gender treatments.
Bill 27: Education Amendment Act
Let Kids Be has called the promotion of gender ideology in schools a gateway to medical transitioning. Alberta’s newly introduced Bill 27 is therefore an important policy piece in preventing harm to children through ideologically based gender education.
The bill would require teachers, principals, and school staff to get parental consent before agreeing to a student’s request to change his or her preferred name or pronouns. Parents of students aged 15 and under must give consent before allowing the use of the new preferred name or pronouns. For students aged 16 and up, the school board will not need to get parental permission but will still have to notify parents.
Bill 27 would empower parents to choose whether or not their child would participate in lessons that deal with gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality.
Bill 27 would empower parents to choose whether or not their child would participate in lessons that deal with gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality. School boards will be required to implement policies for parents to be notified and provide consent well before any such lessons. Parents would have the option to opt their child in for all, some, or none of the instruction.
If passed, the legislation is not expected to come into effect until September 2025.
Bill 29: Fairness and Safety in Sport Act
Bill 29 is less directly related to our campaign’s policy goal of protecting minors from medical transitioning, but we are still encouraged to see the Alberta government acknowledging important biological realities with yet another bill introduced last week.
Bill 29 is designed to ensure biological female athletes are able to compete in divisions that only allow biological females to participate.
Bill 29 is designed to ensure biological female athletes are able to compete in divisions that only allow biological females to participate, and also seeks to ensure that transgender athletes have meaningful opportunities to participate in sports through the establishment of mixed-sex leagues or divisions.
The bill requires schools to establish and implement policies for each relevant sport, and these policies must comply with government regulations – but those regulations are not yet clear. The bill itself does not actually establish any rules regarding female-only sports, but it opens the conversation for schools to find a solution.
Legislation worth supporting
We’re very pleased to see this suite of bills in Alberta pushing back on gender ideology and the damage it’s doing to children and youth. Please encourage Alberta MLAs to press ahead and pass these bills and encourage other provinces to follow suit.