15.39°C Vancouver

May 29, 2025 2:37 PM - The Canadian Press

Canadian doctors group challenging constitutionality of Alberta transgender law

Share On
canadian-doctors-group-challenging-constitutionality-of-alberta-transgender-law
The Canadian Medical Association says the court challenge is meant to protect the relationship between patients and doctors when it comes to making treatment decisions.

A group representing Canada's doctors is challenging the constitutionality of Alberta's legislation limiting access to medical treatment for transgender youth, arguing it violates their Charter right to freedom of conscience. The Canadian Medical Association says the court challenge is meant to protect the relationship between patients and doctors when it comes to making treatment decisions.

The legislation was part of a trio of bills Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government passed last year affecting transgender people. Besides blocking doctors from prescribing hormone therapy and puberty blockers to those under the age of 16, the government also banned transgender women from competing in amateur women's sports and made it a requirement for children under 16 to receive parental consent to change their names or pronouns at school.

Smith has said the legislation is necessary to protect children and ensure they don't make major decisions before they reach adulthood.

Association president Dr. Joss Reimer says the government's legislation interferes with a doctor's ability to help patients in choosing the best care possible.

Dr. Jake Donaldson, a family physician in Calgary who is involved in the challenge, says the legislation has put him and other doctors in a state of moral crisis. Donaldson says he went into medicine to help people, and the legislation means he'd have to refuse care to patients who could significantly benefit from it.

Latest news

family-says-canadian-dentist-was-aboard-air-india-flight-that-crashed-after-takeoff-2
CanadaJun 12, 2025

Family says Canadian dentist was aboard Air India flight that crashed after takeoff

The family of a dentist from Mississauga, Ont., says she is the Canadian citizen believed to be on an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday. The husband of Nirali Sureshkumar Patel confirmed she was among the 240 passengers on the London-bound flight. Patel's dental clinic referred The Canadian Press to the husband, who said that he was in the process of booking travel to India for himself and the couple's one-year-old child. He declined to provide his full name and said he wasn't in a state to speak further. The plane crashed in a residential area of India's northwes
prime-minister-carney-and-alberta-premier-smith-wont-take-in-stanley-cup-game-5
BCJun 12, 2025

Abbotsford businessman Satwinder Sharma shot and killed in Surrey

A man was killed in a shooting incident in Surrey in broad daylight on Wednesday. Police have not confirmed the identity of the deceased, but information on social media and Connect FM's conversation with sources have revealed that 57-year-old businessman Satwinder Sharma, a resident of Abbotsford, was the victim of the incident. Satwinder Sharma had been living in Canada for more than three decades. Officers were called to a business near 84 Avenue and 160 Street at around 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Surrey police said. Officers found a man with serious injuries at the scene and paramedics were u
rcmp-continue-investigation-into-fatal-boating-collision-remaining-witnesses-urged-to-speak-up
CanadaJun 12, 2025

RCMP Continue Investigation into Fatal Boating Collision; Remaining Witnesses urged to Speak Up

North Vancouver RCMP continue to investigate a fatal boat collision and are calling on witnesses to come forward.On June 7, 2025, North Vancouver RCMP responded to reports of a serious collision involving a speedboat and an inflatable tube with two children on it. Sadly, one child died as a result, and a second child was airlifted to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The second child remains in hospital. Police are unable to provide further details on the condition of the second child.The boat operator was arrested on scene and has since been released on an Undertaking to Appear (UTA),
police-seeking-information-on-dryden-creek-wildfire
BCJun 12, 2025

Police seeking information on Dryden Creek wildfire

Squamish RCMP is investigating the cause of a wildfire in the Dryden Creek area and requesting anyone with information contact police. On June 9, 2025, around 5:30 p.m. Squamish RCMP and Squamish Fire Rescue were notified of smoke on the hillside at the end of Tantalus Road. Due to dry conditions the fire spread rapidly and continues to burn. Squamish RCMP is working closely with BC Wildfire Service and Squamish Fire Rescue. The fire is believed to have originated around 4:00 p.m. on a bike trail at the end of Tantalus Road. Based on initial information, investigators suspect the fire was huma
alberta-premier-faces-raucous-angry-town-hall-on-provinces-coal-policy
AlbertaJun 12, 2025

Alberta premier faces raucous, angry town hall on province's coal policy

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and three of her ministers got an earful from southern Alberta locals at a rowdy, hours-long town hall to discuss the province's coal policy. About 500 people, dressed in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and jeans, packed a community hall in Fort Macleod, Alta., for an event marked by heckling, competing applause, and placards. The premier and her ministers of energy, environment and agriculture took questions and were shouted down on several occasions by attendees as they defended changes to the province's coal policy. The town hall came weeks after the

Related News