Tory MP Says Publicly Funded Skate Canada Should Not Penalize Alberta Over Its Female-Only Sports Law

Alberta Conservative MP Rachael Thomas says government-funded Skate Canada shouldn’t use public funding to “punish” the province of Alberta over its law prohibiting transgender athletes in female sports.

Skate Canada said on Dec. 16 that it will not host any national or international-level events in Alberta, as it disagrees with the province’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, which bans male-to-female transgender athletes from participating in female-only sports.

“Skate Canada has barred Alberta from hosting future skating events because our province chose to protect women’s and girls’ sports,” Thomas said in a Dec. 17 post on X, noting the organization receives more than $2 million in federal taxpayer funding, including from Albertans.

“Using public money to punish one province over a political disagreement is unfair and wrong,” she said.

The Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, formerly Bill 29, came into force on Sept. 1 and was one of three laws that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government introduced in 2024. The law mandates that amateur sports organizations implement eligibility policies to ensure only biological females participate in women’s sports.

Smith called Skate Canada’s decision “disgraceful” and said the law intends to protect female athletes. “Women and girls have the right to play competitive sports in a safe and fair environment against other biological females,” she said, adding that the organization is “offside with the international community, including the International Olympic Committee, which is moving in the same direction as Alberta.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre expressed support for Smith’s stance in a Dec. 17 post on X, saying “Premier Smith is right: biological men don’t belong in women’s sports—period.”

Skate Canada told The Epoch Times that after examining the Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, it determined that it’s unable to host events in the province while maintaining its “national standards for safe and inclusive sport.” It said the decision only applies to events and will not impact Alberta athletes participating in Skate Canada programming and competitions.

The organization also said it would “continue to monitor” legislative developments in Alberta and “reassess hosting opportunities as circumstances evolve.”

Federal Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden has spoken out in support of Skate Canada’s decision to boycott Alberta.

“Our government believes in a sport system that provides opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel without discrimination, including the transgender community, which is disproportionately vulnerable, excluded and marginalized,” van Koeverden said in a Dec. 16 statement posted on X.

Alberta Gender-Related Laws

Alberta passed Bill 9, also known as the Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act, invoking the notwithstanding clause on Dec. 10 to shield three gender-related laws from legal challenges.

The bill uses the notwithstanding clause to uphold the province’s laws that prohibit gender transition surgeries for minors, require parental consent for pronoun changes at school, and limit participation in female sports to biological females.

The notwithstanding clause allows governments to override certain provisions of the Charter of Rights for a five-year term when passing legislation.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has said Albertans should be alarmed by Smith’s use of the notwithstanding clause. He has argued that the province’s use of the clause indicates gender-related laws are unconstitutional and an example of rights and freedoms being overridden.

LGBT advocacy groups, the Canadian Medical Association, and civil liberties organizations have criticized the laws, saying they are discriminatory and harmful to youth. Legal challenges were launched against the policies this spring.

The province said its use of the notwithstanding clause was necessary to protect children, uphold parental rights, and maintain fairness in sport.

Carolina Avendano, Chandra Philip, and Jennifer Cowan contributed to this report.