Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says female spaces should be exclusively for females.
Poilievre made the comments at a Kitchener, Ont. press conference Wednesday morning in response to a question from Rebel News journalist David Menzies.
“Will you make female safe spaces safe again by introducing legislation that bans so-called transgender women from participating in female sports and getting access into female shelters and female prisons?” Menzies asked.
Poilievre responded by saying that “female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males.”
However, in terms of legislation, the conservative leader said that the majority of the spaces mentioned in the question were controlled at the provincial and municipal levels.
“So it is unclear what reach federal legislation would have to to change them,” answered Poilievre. “But obviously, female sports, female change rooms, female bathrooms, should be for females. Not biological males.”
Poilievre’s remarks come on the heels of the Alberta government’s commitment to a suite of policies related to sex and gender, including protecting womens-only sports and ensuring parental consent is required before a student under 16 can change their name or gender at school.
Poilievre has expressed support for Premier Danielle Smith’s policies, telling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “butt out” of both provincial jurisdiction and parental autonomy.
Conservative Party of Canada members voted in favour of a policy at their convention last fall advocating for protection of single-sex spaces and sports.
