Justice minister firm in his defence of gender legislation

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Ryan Dahlman

By Cal Braid
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Nov. 18, Minister of Justice Mickey Amery introduced Bill 9, the Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act.. If passed, the bill will introduce a ban on hormone therapy for youth under 16 and gender-affirming surgery for those under 18. It will prevent transgender athletes over 12 years old from competing in female sports, make sexual health classes opt-in only, and require parental consent for pronoun changes in schools.

 To protect Bill 9 from being overturned by the courts, the UCP government invoked the notwithstanding clause yet again. It did the same with the Back to School Act in October.

 Alberta’s government believes Bill 9 will preserve the future choices of children and youth, strengthen the role of parents as their child’s primary caregiver, and ensure fairness and safety in amateur competitive sports.

 When Minister Amery hosted a media roundtable on Nov. 24 to discuss other new legislation designed to protect the free speech of regulated professionals (Bill 13), the Q&A period predictably took a turn towards other topics of interest – like Bill 9 and the protests it had sparked.

 A reporter asked Amery about a warning from the Alberta Teachers Association that some provisions in Bill 9 could put vulnerable students at risk in rural areas where communities are smaller and new spreads quickly. Was the minister’s office taking measures to support students and families in those communities?

 Amery said, “We are, of course, always taking the position that every single child deserves love and support, and we believe that the vast majority of parents want to see their children do well and be supported in every which way possible.”

 However, “I think the problem with the position that the ATA has taken is that it encourages a disconnect between parents and children. It encourages children or teachers, for example, to withhold important information that I think parents all across this province very much would like to know.”

 He said if a parent isn’t aware that their child is having issues – any kind of issues – the parent cannot address them. Amery professed his belief that the vast majority of parents are wonderful caregivers and want the best for their children, but acknowledged circumstances where that is not the case.

  To answer the question about support in small communities, he said, “We’ve developed and we have created programs to make sure that our young children are supported, that youth mental health is fully supported and well-funded. And the statistic that I think is most important is that some $27 million since 2019 by this government has been dedicated to addressing and supporting LGBTQ2S+ plus children in our province. We want every child to thrive in this province.”

 That said, the UCP government is firm in its position that parental notification is important.  Parents want the best for their children, and if they’re involved, they can address issues more effectively than if the information is kept away from them, Amery said.

 “That is something that I think that we’re not prepared to bend on,” he said definitively. “We hear from parents all across this province, and it’s almost universal. Every single parent wants to know what’s going on with their young children.”

 Ultimately, the UCP believes that parents have a crucial role to play, and “we certainly do not think that children of a younger age should be able to make medically irreversible and certainly life changing decisions before their brains and bodies are fully developed.”

 Meanwhile, in Amery’s hometown of Calgary and elsewhere, protests and rallies proved that neither Bill 9 nor the use of the notwithstanding clause would go unchallenged. He recognized Bill 9 as “a deeply emotional and deeply personal piece of legislation” that will impact many.

 He said he expected robust public and legislative debates over the matter. “You’re seeing democracy in action right now. The alternative to all of this would have been a decision by a court, but we know that number one, those are not subject to public debate, and certainly not within the legislature, by account of all elected representatives.”

 However, that explanation seemed at odds with the government’s plan to use the notwithstanding clause, as did Amery’s assertion that, “We think that this is a good, healthy debate. We’ve heard from parents, students, teachers, coaches all across the province, and many have expressed support for the bill. Some have expressed concern for the bill, and we respect every single opinion that we’re hearing.”