The Ontario NDP is facing backlash for a bill they’ve tabled that seeks to expand “gender-affirming health care” in the province.
Bill 42, if passed, would compel Ontario’s Minister of Health to create a “Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee” to improve access and coverage for procedures and treatments that align with a patient’s gender identity.
The Canadian Gender Report, a non-profit that raises concerns about the gender transition of children, called the bill a “flawed proposal that should be rejected.”
The proposed committee would make recommendations on how to expand the province’s coverage by reducing wait times for gender-affirming care, reducing referral requirements to access transgender care, and redefine gender-affirming care as a “lifesaving procedure.”
The bill also says the committee must consist of transgender people, two-spirit people, non-binary people, intersex people and “gender diverse communities.”
The Canadian Gender Report, in an open letter, criticizes the bill for the voices it seeks to both include and exclude.
“For example, there is a large cohort of people who experience gender distress as children but found that it resolved without the need to transition,” reads the letter. “Additionally, there is a rapidly growing group of detransitioners who have found that gender affirming care harmed their physical and mental health.”
They also point to countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden, which have rejected the practice of delivering gender-affirming care to minors.
“Three national health systems – Finland, Sweden, and the UK – have conducted systematic evidence reviews on the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors. They have all rejected the affirmation model of care in favour of an approach that prioritizes mental health,” the letter continues.
According to Bill 42, the committee would be tasked with expanding insurance coverage for cosmetic transgender treatments never before covered under the Health Insurance Act, like facial feminization surgery and chest contouring.
The politician behind the bill, NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, wrote an op-ed arguing that transgender Ontarians face significant discrimination and that the passage of Bill 42 is the first step in fixing a healthcare system in crisis.
“The timely passing of my private member’s bill will be the first step in reversing a health care system that had abandoned select Ontarians. If the Premier and Minister of Health are serious about fixing the health care system, then they can demonstrate their support by allowing the expedited passage of my bill with all-party unanimous consent and support.”
Wong-Tam also claimed that backlash against gender-affirming care in the United States is motivated by “right-wing zealots” and compared opposition to gender-affirming care to white supremacy.
While Bill 42 was introduced by a member of the official opposition, it is unclear whether the Ford government will oppose the Bill, as the Progressive Conservatives allowed the legislation to be carried through to second reading in the last legislative session.
The Ontario PCs have been largely silent on their position regarding the bill, as no MPPs opposed the tabling of the legislation in the current and previous legislative sessions.
Bill 42 arrives at a time when there are growing concerns around the way gender ideology is becoming mainstream in institutions.
School boards across Ontario have been administering student censuses asking children for their gender identity and sexual orientation and even asking students if they are aware of breast binding, genital tucking, and other physical practices.
The Ottawa school board is in the process of hiring a “Trans and Gender Diverse Student Support Coordinator,” a full-time position exclusively devoted to engaging with transgender students.
