Poilievre Accuses Trudeau and Media of Distorting Conservative Position on Alberta’s Child Transition Restrictions
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and journalists of spreading “disinformation” by describing the Alberta government’s proposed policies on transgender children in vague terms.
“You notice that Trudeau has not given a single example of any of the policies that Premier Smith has brought forward that he individually disagrees with, because he doesn’t want to be specific about it,” the Conservative leader said on Feb. 6 in response to a reporter’s question on the policies.
“And that’s because he and you want to peddle in disinformation in order to demonize Premier Smith and parents.”
According to the Alberta government’s newly announced policies, gender reassignment surgeries will no longer be permitted for those aged 17 and under, and those under 15 will not be permitted to take puberty blockers or hormone therapies as part of gender reassignment treatment. Transgender individuals will also not be allowed to participate in female-only sports leagues.
Poilievre Criticizes ‘Disinformation’ Around Policies
During the Feb. 6 press conference, Mr. Poilievre was asked what his opinion was on “the state restricting health care access for transgender youth,” and whether reports were true that he had muzzled MPs in his party from speaking about the issue. An internal email obtained by The Globe and Mail showed that Mr. Poilievre suggested talking points for his MPs to use if asked about the policies, which focused on parental rights about decisions related to their children.
Mr. Poilievre answered the reporter’s question by accusing them of disinformation and being unable to “even describe the policy proposals that are being debated.” He suggested that by discussing Ms. Smith’s policies in “vague” terms, reporters were attempting to misrepresent both the proposals and Conservative MPs.
Related Stories
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said the proposed policy that would require transgender-identifying children 15 and under to get parental consent meant Ms. Smith was “forcing kids out of the closet before many of them are ready.”
The Tory leader also accused Mr. Trudeau of spreading “hatred” against Muslim and Christian parents by criticizing them for “standing up for their kids.” Mr. Poilievre said the prime minister needed to trust parents to raise their children and “let provinces run schools and hospitals.”
Mr. Poilievre, meanwhile, has often neglected to wade into the debate on gender ideology being taught in schools, instead focusing on his economic proposals. On Feb. 5, the Tory leader said his party stood for “common sense” when asked for his position on Ms. Smith’s proposals, adding that the prime minister was “distracting and dividing Canadians” instead of focusing on issues like housing, crime, and taxes.
