Alberta in talks to attract transgender health specialists to province

Alberta's health minister says her department is working to recruit physicians specialized in transgender health care, but critics say new government policies will push them away.

Earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith said her government would start working to attract specialists for genital reconstruction surgeries so Albertans wouldn't have to travel to Quebec for care.

At an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the government was in talks with at least two such specialists. Officials confirmed in an email that no jobs have been offered and discussions are ongoing.

The Alberta government introduced legislation last week that would prohibit doctors from treating those under 16 seeking gender-affirming surgeries. Youth also wouldn't be prescribed puberty blockers or undergo hormone treatments.

Members of Smith's United Conservative Party took the issue a step further last weekend. They voted to urge the government to classify "sex alteration practices," also known as gender-affirming care, as elective cosmetic procedures.

Gender-affirming care is currently covered by the provincial health plan, and LaGrange said no change is planned.

"I have not heard any concerns (about the procedures)," LaGrange told reporters. "We have made a commitment to continue with the adult programs that we currently have available."

The bill was up for debate in second reading in the legislature Tuesday. Prior to debate, the Opposition NDP tabled letters and petitions from medical professionals, social workers and citizens expressing concerns.

Rakhi Pancholi, the NDP children's services critic, accused the premier of "stoking fear," denying health care to transgender children and undermining health professionals with "harmful, ideological legislation.

"She's putting kids at risk, violating their rights and their parents' rights, all to pander to a fringe base," Pancholi told the House.

Smith, during debate, said the legislation is designed to make sure children don't make serious, potentially permanent changes that they later regret. She said the government is listening to experts and is committed to lifting up transgender children.

"That concern and compassion does not end with this legislation," Smith said. "We want to support them in whichever path they end up taking, as long as we make sure that they're not making life-changing decisions that are irreversible as adults."

Dr. Sam Wong, president of pediatrics for the Alberta Medical Association, said in an interview that minors seeking gender-affirming care aren't acting on their own accord. Parents have to approve those decisions, he said.

"It's the parents that are making the decisions, not the child themselves," he said.

Wong said the legislation could have a chilling effect on physicians who feel like they're being punished for practising medicine.

Asked about the province's commitment to recruit transgender health-care specialists, he said the policies won't help.

"If you are a specialist that does surgery in this area then you see a government that's trying to recruit you, who has legislated against transgender individuals, how willing are you to come here?" he said.

Dr. Jake Donaldson, a Calgary-based physician who works with transgender people, also said he's skeptical about the province's commitment to recruiting specialists given its track record with the gender-diverse community.

He also said much of the research used by the province to justify the policies is pseudo-science.

Research from the United States suggests places that have passed similar legislation typically see increased rates of suicide and depression among gender-diverse people, Donaldson said.

"Politicians who are passing and pushing bills like this will indeed have blood on their hands," he said.