This is why LGBTQ+ Canadians are fearful of a Pierre Poilievre government

After news of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation broke, LGBTQ+ Canadians have been left wondering what a government under Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre could look like if the opposition wins in October – and the signs aren’t good.

On Monday (6 January) 53-year-old Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau – who has lead the party since 2013 and been Canada’s prime minister since 2015 – announced his resignation at a news conference outside his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.

His decision to step down comes after weeks of mounting pressure from within the Liberal Party after finance minister and ally Chrystia Freeland quit over the PM’s handling of threats of tariffs from US president-elect Donald Trump, resulting in faltering popularity in opinion polls and his own MPs call for his resignation.

In his speech, Trudeau himself cited “internal battles” which mean he “cannot be the best option” for voters at the next election.

“I don’t easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well-being of democracy is something that I hold dear,” Trudeau said.

“A new prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party will carry its values and ideals into that next election. I am excited to see that process unfold in the months ahead.”

Trudeau has suspended parliament until March and will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is elected, the new leader will then fight to keep the ruling Liberal party in government in an election that must be held by late October.

Recent polls have indicated that the Liberals could face a huge defeat by the opposing Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre, who took over the party in 2022, news that is worrying many Canadian LGBTQ+ people.

Pierre Poilievre has a mixed track-record when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights

Despite opposing same-sex marriage in the mid-2000s, around the time it was legalised nationwide in Canada, Poilievre has since spoken out in favour of equal unions, saying in a 2020 interview with La Presse: “I am in favour of gay marriage. Period. I voted against it 15 years ago. But I have learned a lot, like millions and millions of people across Canada and around the world. I see that gay marriage is a success. The institution of marriage must be open to all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

The Conservative leader received some criticism in July 2023 after being photographed with a man wearing an anti-LGBTQ+ ‘straight pride‘ t-shirt at the Calgary Stampede, which had “thank a straight person today for your existence” in black capital letters with “straight pride” written underneath.

Sebastian Skamski, spokesperson for Pierre Poilievre, said the leader posed for photographs with “hundreds of people” and did not read what was written on the man’s shirt but “does not agree with the message” and wants to build a Canada for everyone, “regardless of their sexual orientation”.

Pierre Poilievre subsequently reaffirmed his support for same-sex marriage in June 2024 after Conservative MP Arnold Viersen said on a podcast that he would “vote gay marriage down” if a bill to overturn it was ever tabled.

Poilievre insisted Viersen’s views “do not represent the positions of the Conservative Party, or myself as leader.”

“Canadians are free to love and marry who they choose. Same sex marriage is legal and it will remain legal when I am prime minister, full stop,” he added.

“I will lead a small government that minds its own business, letting people make their own decisions about their love lives, their families, their bodies, their speech, their beliefs and their money. We will put people back in charge of their lives in the freest country in the world.”

Gender critical comments

However, Poilievre’s general acceptance and support for LGB members of the queer community does not seem to extend to trans rights.

In February 2024, Poilievre said he opposed trans women using female spaces and gender affirming care, such as puberty blockers, being provided to trans youth.

When asked about Alberta premier Danielle Smith’s controversial proposals to restriction on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children 15 and under, Poilievre confirmed he is opposed to gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18.

“Puberty blockers for minors? I think we should protect children and their ability to make adult decisions when they’re adults,” he said.

“I think we should protect the rights of parents to make their own decisions with regards to their children.”

‘The normalization of this rhetoric is dangerous’

Just a few weeks later, Poilievre was asked by reporters if he would prevent trans women from participating in women’s sports and using single-sex spaces such as domestic violence shelters if he became PM.

“Female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males,” he responded.

“A lot of the spaces … are provincially and municipally controlled, so it is unclear … what reach federal legislation would have to change them,” Poilievre said. “But obviously female sports, female change rooms, female bathrooms should be for females, not for biological males.”

The comment prompted a response from Elishma Khokhar, Gender Rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, who labelled it a “dangerous distraction” which “diverts attention from the real systemic causes of gender-based violence.”

Khokhar said: “Not only does this shameful rhetoric put trans and gender-diverse people at further risk; it obscures the realities of gender-based violence in Canada.

“Amnesty International Canada wholeheartedly condemns any attempt to scapegoat members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community to score political points. We call on all political leaders to end the spread of harmful disinformation.”

Poilievre’s views have already concerned LGBTQ+ folks in Canada, with queer citizens expressing their concerns about a Conservative government in a September 2024 feature for CTV News.

In the article, the executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Queer Research Initiative, Sarah Worthman, noted the leader’s comments about trans folks: “The normalization of this rhetoric is dangerous, and so are the potential policies that he could implement.

“Poilievre has admitted on the record that he’s willing to use Section 33 — so there’s essentially no stopping him from rolling back different rights especially the rights of trans and gender diverse people in Canada.”

Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, acknowledged that “not every conservative is anti-LGBTQ” but it is being used as a “vote-getter”: “It’s really based on political opportunism and it’s really alarming.”

Nothing has changed.

Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years, just like Justin.

The only way to fix what… pic.twitter.com/YnNYANTs1y

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 6, 2025

In response to Trudeau’s resignation, Poilievre called his premiership a “dark chapter in our history”.

“Canadians can take back control of their lives and their country. Take back control of our border, take back control of immigration, take back control of spending, deficits and inflation. Take back control of our streets by locking up criminals, banning drugs, treating addiction and stopping gun smugglers. We’ll cap spending, axe taxes, reward work, build homes, uphold family, stop crime, secure borders, rearm our forces, restore our freedom and put Canada First,” he said in a video statement shared on X.

All with one mission: to bring home Canada’s promise that every hardworking Canadian gets a powerful paycheque and pension that buys affordable food and homes on safe streets; where all are united for the country we know and love: Canada first, Canada last, Canada always.”