HALIFAX — As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau digs in his heels and pledges to stay on as Liberal leader despite dwindling public support, some LGBTQ+ activists say he is putting queer and gender diverse people at risk.
Queer advocates say a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would be dangerous for LGBTQ+ Canadians, and some are pushing for Trudeau to step aside to give the Liberals a better chance of winning the next election — which must be held on or before Oct. 20, 2025.
Section 33 — known as the notwithstanding clause — of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives Parliament the ability to override certain portions of the Charter for a five-year term, but Poilievre's office has said he would only use the clause for criminal justice reforms. At the time, the Tory leader also said he was opposed to youth under 18 taking puberty blockers, medicine often used by transgender youth to temporarily suppress the hormones that cause puberty.
Fae Johnstone, executive director of political advocacy group Queer Momentum, said she's worried a Poilievre government would roll back the hard-fought rights of trans Canadians. However, both Johnstone and Kennedy stopped short of calling for Trudeau to step down as leader. "Having passports that match their chosen name, or access to gender-affirming health care — if that ends up being criminalized, which is possible with the use of the notwithstanding clause, it’s going to amount to a de facto ban on trans lives,” she said.
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