Evidence-based care for transgender and gender-diverse Albertans

The Alberta Medical Association’s Section of General Psychiatry (SGP) and Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SCAP) support evidence-based care for transgender and gender-diverse Albertans. 
 
We are deeply concerned by the Government of Alberta’s use of the notwithstanding clause to enforce legislation that restricts access to gender-affirming care for youth. The law undermines both patient rights and the physicians’ ability to offer effective, evidence-based care. We believe legislation without local broad stakeholder involvement is not a substitute for health care decisions between patients, their families and physicians.

In June 2025, the Court of King’s Bench temporarily halted these restrictions after an in-depth review concluding that the ban could cause irreparable harm to transgender youth. The Honourable Justice Allison Kuntz emphasized the vulnerabilities of this population and the clinical and psychological risks associated with limiting care. Rather than addressing these issues, the government opted to override the court’s concerns and prevent further analysis by activating the notwithstanding clause. 
 
Young people with gender dysphoria already face significant challenges. They deserve stable, compassionate, evidence-based care. Care for these youth is a long-term collaborative process, driven by the decisions of patients and their families (or guardians), supported by clinicians, guided by professional standards and informed by ongoing scientific research. These additional barriers created by political intervention eliminate options that youth and their families find crucial to explore. 
 
This should concern all Albertans. When government overrides evidence-based care and judicial findings, it threatens the independence and safety of health care for all Albertans. 
 
SGP and SCAP continue to stand firmly in defence of patients’ rights to safe, evidence-based care and physicians’ duty to provide such care in the context of the family-centred physician-patient relationship. We urge the government to reconsider its current approach and instead work with stakeholders and medical professionals to protect the health, dignity and rights of all young Albertans.