Multiple federal cabinet ministers are criticizing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed restrictions on transgender youth as targeting a vulnerable minority for political points, indicating Thursday they are looking at options for how to respond.
“Everything is on the table, anything that we can do,” said Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien.
Speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill, Ien said as the Canadian government waits to see what tangible measures Smith brings in, she won’t speculate on what exactly could be done. Instead, she’ll be heading on the road to consult those impacted before coming back to the federal cabinet with suggested ways to respond.
“We are going to look at every option that we have, and this is our NATO moment as an LGBTQ2S+ community. An attack on one of our communities is an attack on us all, and I need allies and champions to stand up,” said Randy Boissonnault, the sole Alberta MP in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.
“If there’s ever been a time in this century, for people to stand up for the kind of Canada, the kind of Alberta we want, it’s today.”
On Wednesday night, Smith released a seven-and-a-half-minute scripted social media video pre-positioning her plans to advance a series of changes around pronouns in schools and access to gender-affirming health care that go beyond what Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have put in place.
Framing the package in terms of “parental involvement” and “preserving choice,” Smith’s government is specifically seeking to:
Require parental notification and consent for students aged 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school, while for teens 16 and 17, the parents will be informed but do not need to consent;
Ban “top and bottom” gender-affirming surgeries for all Albertans ages 17 and under and ban hormone therapy for gender reassignment purposes for those aged 15 and under unless their treatment has already begun;
Require parental notification and an opt-in requirement when teachers intend to teach about LGBTQ2S+ issues such as gender and sexual identity; and
Implement restrictions around transgender women participating in women’s sports, citing “safety” while suggesting an expanded co-ed or gender-neutral league for trans athletes as an alternative.
According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, “processes and age cut-offs for funding gender-affirming surgeries vary by province/territory in Canada,” but generally, the kinds of surgical procedures Smith is seeking to restrict are rarely available to Canadians under the age of 18, following extensive medical and psychological consultation.
Smith’s office told CTV News that these proposals will be implemented through a combination of policy and legislation, to be announced by the Fall with the intention of implementation by the end of the year.
Asked on CTV News Channel’s Power Play if the federal response will be ready by then, Ien said “she’ll have a response.” Boissonnault and Ien spent Wednesday night on the phone speaking to queer community members in Alberta who, Ien said after listening to video, despite its “soft tone” and “spa-like music” they feel less safe.
In the video, Smith said that she accepts all transgender Albertans, and wants to eliminate the discrimination they face.
Though, after discussions with her United Conservative Party caucus, she’s decided that given the “often changing” emotions of Albertans aged 17 and younger, as premier she’s “not comfortable” permitting “prematurely encouraging or enabling children to alter their very biology or natural growth, no matter how well intentioned.”
Among the promises Smith has made, is to seek out specialized medical professionals to provide gender-affirming surgeries to adult Albertans, in Alberta. She’s also vowed to “strictly” enforce child protection laws in cases where trans youth are rejected or abused by their parent.
Speaking to media in Alberta on Thursday afternoon, Smith doubled down on her position, asserting confidence that nothing her government is pursuing is against the law and rebuffing the rebukes from Ottawa.
“These are sensitive conversations involving children, and I hope we can de-politicize these issues as much as possible as we work through the process of implementing these policies,” Smith said. “We’re not stopping any covered service.”
Health minister heading to Alberta
Asked to comment on Thursday morning during a press conference about new assisted dying legislation, federal Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani also stopped short of committing to federal action, but both expressed their dismay.
“I’m deeply disturbed. The decision that was made by Alberta places kids at risk,” Holland said Thursday. “Affirming gender, making sure that kids and families have the health care that they need on extremely sensitive issues, is so very important.”
“I thought we were in a place in this country, where we were moving past this. It’s extremely dangerous to engage in this kind of thing, which is, I think, playing politics when you’re talking about children’s lives.”
The health minister said his first move is going to be heading to Alberta to speak with his provincial counterpart Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, face-to-face.
“I want to talk through these issues. I want to see if we can find a solution through talking, to really understand what this is going to mean, and the devastation that it’s going to bring, so that we can find an offering,” Holland said. “So, that’s my first priority is to try through communicating.”
Court challenge? Too soon: Virani
The federal ministers’ comments come after a barrage of reaction overnight from LGBTQ2S+ advocates voicing fear over what they called the most restrictive anti-trans policies in the country.
Though, while groups like Egale Canada and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have indicated intent to pursue legal action “to protect rights and freedoms of trans and gender diverse people in the province,” if needed, the federal government isn’t crossing that bridge, yet.
“That is a completely speculative question,” Virani said. “They’ve announced what they’re thinking about doing, they’ve not tabled anything, there’s no legislation. There’s nothing to be taken to court, I’m not going to speculate.”
Virani said that as a dad, parents need to be able to have these conversations with their children.
“I think actually targeting that small minority for some political purpose in Alberta, as it seems that the premier is doing, is not becoming of her office, and is in fact actually targeting and perhaps even demonizing those children. We’re not talking about their exploration of their sexuality when we’re banning kids from a school yard, from a playground, or from a sports team.”
An ‘assault’ on trans rights: advocate
Fae Johnstone, executive director of the Society of Queer Momentum said what Smith has proposed is “an egregious assault on the rights and freedoms of vulnerable young people and their families.”
“This is a government interfering ideologically, in the provision of evidence-based health care, and stopping families from helping their kids access life-saving services that those young people need and deserve.”
In an interview on CTV News Channel, Johnstone cautioned that if implemented, Smith’s suite of measures could send trans and gender-diverse students back into the closet, or force them to come out before they know they’ll be supported at home.
“We recognize that health interventions are not an option for every child, but they are necessary for some and it is irresponsible for a government to get between that young person, their family, and their provider.”
NDP reacts, Conservatives yet to
Alberta Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley held a press conference in Ottawa alongside federal NDP MPs on Thursday afternoon to respond to Smith’s “policy and guidelines aimed at dismantling the human rights of transgender Albertans.”
“Smith’s new policy represents government interference in what should be a collaborative and private decision between parents, their child, and their doctor,” Notley said, adding that this move is “designed to further divide those who have been subjected to misinformation and conspiracy theories.”
Notley said her caucus will push Smith to reverse course, noting the provincial government’s obligations under the Canada Health Act and Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
One of the MPs who appeared alongside Notley was Canada’s first openly two-spirit member of Parliament Blake Desjarlais. In separate remarks to reporters, he called on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to speak up.
“He has remained completely absent from ensuring that his own Conservative counterparts in these provinces are told that they won’t accept it. Silence is complicity,” Desjarlais said.
Last September, at the federal Conservative convention in Quebec City, delegates voted to include a pair of policies in the party’s playbook that would restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and oppose the inclusion of trans women in women’s spaces, such as on sports teams and in bathrooms.
To date, Poilievre has not said whether these are policies he’d campaign on, or would be pursued by a prospective federal Conservative government.
CTV News reached out to the Official Opposition leader’s office for comment and has yet to receive a response.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
