LGBTQ+ activists say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's pledge to remain the Liberal leader through to the next election, despite dwindling public support, is putting them at risk.
Queer advocates say a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would be dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community, and some are calling on Trudeau to step aside to give the Liberals a better chance at winning the next election — which must happen by Oct. 20, 2025.
Sarah Worthman, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Queer Research Initiative, says she’s seriously concerned about the potential harm of a Conservative government for LGBTQ+ Canadians.
She points to Poilievre's comments saying minors should not have access to puberty blockers and transgender athletes should be barred from women’s sports and changing rooms.
Worthman says the Liberals would have a better chance at beating the Conservatives in an election if they replaced Trudeau, but she didn't say with whom.
A spokesperson for the Conservatives did not directly respond to questions but instead sent an email with a series of transcribed answers that Poilievre gave to journalists between June 2023 and February 2024 on LGBTQ+ issues.
The answers include Poilievre's call for Canada to continue offering refuge for persecuted LGBTQ+ people around the world, and that "female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males."
Worthman and Celeste Trianon, who runs a centre that helps trans people in Quebec who wish to change their legal name or gender marker, say the Liberals should follow the lead of the American Democratic Party, which has seen a swell of support since replacing President Joe Biden with Vice-President Kamala Harris as the party's nominee in November's presidential election.
Randy Boissonnault, a federal cabinet minister who was previously Trudeau's special adviser on LGBTQ+ issues, says queer people are right to be worried about what may happen if Poilievre wins the upcoming election.
However, Boissonnault says Trudeau is the best person to lead the party through another campaign, adding that the prime minister is a champion of LGBTQ+ rights.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2024.