A group of about 150 protesters have gathered in Ottawa outside the John A. MacDonald building to protest Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s recently announced transgender policies.
Some protesters can be seen wearing COVID face masks to hide their faces. Others can be seen wearing fully blown balaclavas.
The Counter Signal’s Editor-in-Chief Keean Bexte posted to social media: “Antifa and Anti-Parental Rights protesters have gathered outside an Ottawa reception hosted in Danielle Smith’s honour. They are furious that kids in Alberta won’t be mutilated any longer.”
Smith landed in the nation’s capital on Monday to announce that Alberta has set up a new office in Ottawa to better represent her province’s interests at the national level.
Earlier on Monday while being grilled by Ottawa reporters, Smith said that her recently announced transgender policies partly stem from detrans horror stories where vulnerable youth were led to make highly regrettable and irreversible decisions to their bodies.
Smith also said she hasn’t received any support from federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, or other provincial Premiers over her policy announcement.
Alberta leads on protecting children, parents
The debate on parental involvement in their children’s pronouns been reignited after Smith released a video on X where she introduced new policies surrounding gender ideology, trans people, or those who think they are trans.
The Alberta Premier announced two pronoun policies: for students 15 and under, parents must consent to pronoun changes; for 16-17-year-olds, parents must be informed of the changes.
Another related policy announcement was a ban hormone therapy / puberty blockers for youth 15 and under (other than those who have already started).
Smith further said that parental notification and an opt-in requirement by parents is required if teachers intend to give formal instruction on gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality.
Moreover, the Premier said that ministry approval is needed for all third-party resource materials that woke teachers and school boards have infiltrated into K-12 schools.
Finally, Smith also said the UCP will work with sporting organizations to ensure women and girls are able to participate in a women’s only division.
Protesters in Alberta say “3 year olds can be trans”
The Counter Signal’s Alexa Posa attended a separate protest opposing Danielle Smith’s recent policy announcement, where one attendee said she believed children as young as 3-years-old can be trans.
