Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday he is only aware of two genders — male and female — and that the government should leave questions of gender identity alone.
A leading LGBTQ organization, reacting to Poilievre's comment, said denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people could contribute to the rise in discrimination and violence targeting them.
In an interview with the CP24 news channel, Poilievre was asked about President Donald Trump signing an executive order declaring the U.S. will only recognize two sexes and that they are unchangeable.
Poilievre said he is not aware of more than two genders and that if the host had "any other you want me to consider, you're welcome to tell me right now."
Poilievre was then asked whether he would ask the U.S. to recognize the gender-neutral "X" marker available on Canadian passports, Poilievre pivoted to talking about the cost of living instead.
He said other politicians can discuss gender identity while he prioritizes ensuring Canadians are able to afford everyday essentials.
"My priority is to give people back control of their lives and bring back Canada's promise that anyone who works hard gets a powerful paycheque and a pension that buys affordable food, gas and homes in safe neighbourhoods. That's the promise we need for Canadians," Poilievre said.
"If Liberals want to talk about different labels for gender that they want to put on passports in the United States, they can do that. I'm going to talk about the things that will bring home Canada's promise."
Responding to Poilievre's remarks, the executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy organization Egale Canada said it's crucial for all political leaders to stand up for trans and gender-diverse people in a time of rising misinformation and hatred.
"Denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people ignores decades of medical and psychological research, as well as the voices of those directly impacted," Helen Kennedy said in a media statement Wednesday.
"Denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people contributes to discrimination, hate and violence. Trans and gender-diverse people have always and will always exist."
Some Indigenous nations across North America have understandings of gender that do not fit the male-female binary, and other non-Indigenous expressions of gender can include nonbinary individuals.
Fae Johnstone, trans activist and executive director of Queer Momentum, said in an interview Wednesday that trans people "absolutely" want to live their lives without government interference and thrive economically.
She said some conservative provincial governments are trying to get in the way of that by setting rules that explicitly affect trans youth and their families.
Johnstone said it's a "coward's option" for Poilievre to do anything but defend the freedom and equality of LGBTQ people. She said he's a "hypocrite" to talk about building a free and equal country for everyone if that excludes trans people and their families.
"It is disgusting for politicians to play petty politics on social issues that require a mature and nuanced conversation," she said.
"He is threatening everything that makes Canada a country that I am proud to live in and I'm so grateful to have grown up in."
Liberal MP Rob Oliphant also criticized Poilievre, saying on social media he "is taking a page out of Donald Trump's playbook." Independent Sen. Kristopher Wells wrote on social media that Poilievre was "right."
"Leave trans people alone and focus on the real issues that matter to Canadians," Wells wrote.
Multiple posts on social media were supporting Poilievre's comments in the interview Wednesday, while clips from it were spread hundreds of times.
Poilievre has previously expressed support for banning trans women from women's sports and the idea of "parental rights."
Last February, Poilievre said "female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males." Since those spaces generally are not controlled by the federal government, it's not clear what it could do.
Poilievre also has said he doesn't support trans kids taking puberty blockers and that gender treatments should be available only to adults.
Johnstone said Poilievre is "playing a dangerous game" by trying to appease more right-leaning elements of the Conservative base.
"We risk tarnishing our long and proud history as a country that's safe for LGBTQ+ people, as a country where freedom included everyone," she said.
"He's a hypocrite every single time he talks about freedom if that freedom excludes my community and the families of trans kids."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.
