Ontario’s health minister says the province will not be following Alberta in banning transgender surgeries or hormone therapies for minors.
“We’re not making any changes as it relates to gender-affirming care in the province of Ontario,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said on Feb. 1 in response to a reporter’s question about whether Ontario would follow Alberta’s lead.
“We are very focused on expanding access to services, expanding access to primary care in the province of Ontario, and that’s what we will be focusing on.”
Those aged 16 and 17 can only begin the medication treatments if they have parental permission as well as physician and psychologist approval.
Legislation that would require Ontario’s health minister to create a “gender-affirming” health-care advisory committee was given its first reading in November 2022.
ARPA says the proposed law is problematic.
If Bill 42 passes, patients will be able to circumvent the referral process, ARPA says.
“The idea behind this would again be to allow patients to access ‘health care’ quicker,” says the association in its post.
“In other words, they would not be required to go through various referral processes to ensure that they understand what is involved in the process for sex-change procedures or that they are mentally competent to make that decision.”