Advocates ask Ottawa to call inquiry into Alberta, Saskatchewan transgender laws

OTTAWA — LGBTQ+ advocates were in Ottawa on Monday asking the federal government to call an inquiry into provincial laws they say have escalated harassment, bullying and mental health harms for transgender people.

Laws on the books in Saskatchewan and Alberta require parental consent for students under 16 to change their names or pronouns at school.

Alberta also has a law that bans transgender athletes 12 and older from participating in amateur competitive female sports, and another that restricts gender-affirming medical care for youth.

Advocates said members of Parliament need to hear from those affected by these laws and their families.

Rowan Venedam, with the group TransAction Alberta, said they have attended funerals for transgender youth since the policies were enacted. They have also watched as some community members packed up their lives to leave their home province because they no longer felt safe.

“It’s harassment, it’s discrimination, it’s the inability to get a job, it’s an inability to find housing, and it’s the inaction of this government doing nothing to stop it,” Venedam told a press conference on Parliament Hill.

“This is not a frivolous call. This is a plea for protection and defence.”

Fae Johnstone, executive director of national advocacy group Queer Momentum, said the ripple effects of the Prairie provinces’ policies will be felt across the country.

“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,” Johnstone said.

The federal departments of health, and women and gender equality did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield their laws from court challenges. The clause allows governments to pass laws that override certain Charter rights for up to five years.

Both provincial governments have said the school rules are about protecting the role of parents and their involvement in education.

Smith’s government has said its other laws are about safety for women and girls playing sports and ensuring youth don’t make rash, life-altering medical decisions.

Smith, when first announcing the three laws affecting transgender people in 2024, said it’s reasonable to put limitations on the kinds of decisions children can make for themselves.

“We are here to support and uplift every child who identifies as transgender and who experiences gender dysphoria, as well as their families who (want) what’s best for them,” the premier said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2026.

— By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton, with files from Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa

The Canadian Press