LGBTQ+ activists say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to remain leader of the Liberal Party of Canada until the next election, despite declining public support, puts them at risk.
Queer rights advocates say a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would be dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community, and some are calling on Trudeau to step down to give the Liberals a better chance of winning the next election, which must be held by Oct. 20, 2025.
Sarah Worthman, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Queer Research Initiative, says she is seriously concerned about the potential harm a Conservative government will do to LGBTQ+ Canadians.
She points to Mr. Poilievre’s comments that trans children should not have access to puberty blockers and trans athletes should be excluded from women’s sports and locker rooms.
Mme Worthman said the Liberals would have a better chance of beating the Conservatives in the election if they replaced Trudeau, but she did not specify with whom.
A Conservative spokesperson did not respond directly to questions from The Canadian Press, but instead sent an email containing a series of transcribed answers Poilievre gave to reporters between June 2023 and February 2024 on LGBTQ+ issues.
Among those responses is Poilievre’s call for Canada to continue to provide sanctuary to persecuted LGBTQ+ people around the world, and that “feminine spaces should be exclusively reserved for women, not biological men.”
Mme Worthman and Celeste Trianon, who runs a centre called Juritrans that helps trans people in Quebec change their legal name or gender marker, say the Liberals should follow the lead of the U.S. Democratic Party, which has seen a surge in support since President Joe Biden was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee in November’s presidential election.
Randy Boissonnault, the current employment minister who was previously Mr. Trudeau’s special adviser on LGBTQ+ issues, says queer people are right to be concerned about what could happen if Mr. Poilievre wins the next election.
However, Mr. Boissonnault maintains that Mr. Trudeau is the best person to lead the party in another campaign, adding that the prime minister is a defender of LGBTQ+ rights.