Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has shot back at the federal minister of women and gender equality after getting accused of “targeting trans youth.”  

The sparring comes a day after Smith announced that she’ll introduce legislation this fall that would make it illegal to perform medical procedures on so-called transgender youth. If passed, doctors won’t be able to give kids under 16 puberty blockers to “affirm” their gender-dysphoric identity. 

Minister March Ien, effectively Canada’s minister of gender ideology, condemned Smith’s announcement almost immediately after she made it. 

“Trans youth tell us these policies are deadly,” Ien stated on social media. “Just last week, a study showed that these laws can increase suicide attempts by young people by up to 65%.” 

In response, Smith shared a National Post headline highlighting a growing number of stories from detransitioners—individuals who once identified as transgender, underwent medical treatments, but later realized they were simply young and confused. 

On X (formerly Twitter), Smith’s post received more than 10x the number of ‘likes’ than the Liberal Minister’s.

The Premier also posted a follow up statement on X, saying “we believe children should wait until adulthood before making physical changes to their body.” 

Smith also touched on other pending transgender-related legislation. For one, she’ll make it illegal for teachers to hide pronoun-changes from parents when kids (aged under 16) do so in school. She’ll also introduce legislation that would ban trans-identifying males from competing in women’s school sports.

“We’re talking about sterility” 

Advocates for giving “trans kids” puberty blockers, as Ien did, have generally claimed that it’s needed to prevent the kids from committing suicide.  

Smith has remained steadfast in her conviction, saying earlier this year, “we are talking about sterility — let’s be frank about it.” 

To this, blocking puberty development can permanently prevent someone from developing mature sperm or eggs which are needed for fertility. Hormone blockers have also been linked to lowering children’s IQs.

Additionally, a massive study published last month that spans 15 years and 2,772 children revealed that most “trans kids” eventually outgrow their gender dysphoria.