Alberta does not house prisoners with 'male genitalia' in female units, says Premier's Office

'Biological males with male genitalia, transgender or otherwise, are not housed in female units,' Sam Blackett, the Premier's spokesperson, told Rebel News.

  • By Alex Dhaliwal
  • April 15, 2024
  • News
Alberta does not house prisoners with 'male genitalia' in female units, says Premier's Office
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Editor's Note: Rebel News was provided with the following statement from the Premier's Office:

Sam Blackett, Premier Danielle Smith's spokesperson, clarified her earlier remarks on not restricting 'trans women' from accessing women's only spaces, including prison.

"Biological males with male genitalia, transgender or otherwise, are not housed in female units as placement consideration assesses the safety of the inmate and others, as well as the security of the centre," he told Rebel News.

"The same is true for biological females, transgender or otherwise."

In the written statement to the publication, Blackett confirmed there has been no safety issues regarding the placement of transgender and/or 'non-binary' prisoners. As of writing, there has not been an instance of an inmate, housed in an Alberta correction facility, transitioning while incarcerated.

Blackett contends such cases arise more frequently at federal penitentiaries given that inmates serve two years less day in provincial facilities.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will not commit to restricting transgender individuals from accessing female prisons or bathrooms in the province.

On Friday, Canada Strong and Free moderator Andrew Lawton asked Smith about transgender access to prisons and bathrooms.

Lawton asked if male prisoners, who identify as women, would be permitted in women’s prisons upon adopting new gender legislation. "At the moment, I have not seen anything in Alberta that leads me to believe I have to do anything about this. So, I’m not going in that direction," she replied.

On public bathrooms and change rooms, Smith claimed "The issue is modesty."

"If you have not fully transitioned, you should not be exposing yourself in female spaces because no one should know," she said. "You should either be behind a washroom stall, or you should show modesty."

In her address, the premier acknowledged this would apply for prisons as well. That appears to contradict an earlier policy resolution on keeping men out of women’s prisons.

Rebel News attempted to reach the Premier’s Office for clarification on her remarks but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

On January 31, the Government of Alberta proposed banning medical transitions for minors and preventing their use of different names or pronouns in schools without informing parents. It would also consider a ban on men participating in women’s sports.

"Some of these policies will be implemented through regulation and ministerial orders; other may need legislation," said Sam Blackett, the premier's spokesperson.

He clarified that some policy implementation will require consultation and feedback from various stakeholders. "The Premier and Cabinet will work together through this process with the goal of having these policies fully implemented by the end of the year," he added.

On protecting women's sports, the Government of Alberta will work with sporting organizations in the province to ensure "biologically born female athletes" compete in a biological female-only division without having to compete against transgender female athletes, according to Blackett.

The province will also expand co-ed and other gender-neutral divisions for athletic competitions to ensure that transgender athletes are able to "meaningfully participate in the sport of their choice," he said.

On Friday, the premier reinforced her position on following the science.

She referenced the Cass Review on ‘gender-affirming care,’ which suggested the evidence for minors accessing these procedures is “remarkably weak” and lets them down. It acknowledges the reported muzzling of healthcare professionals as “toxic” on the gender debate.

"We’re watching what the emerging scientific evidence is in the world," Smith said. "This is science. The left says they believe in science. This is what science looks like."

Alberta’s proposed ban on medical transitions for minors makes it a leader in parental rights advocacy. Their proposed requirement of schools to inform parents of any social transition is in line with similar legislation in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

"You cannot be out to your entire school community, and the only people who are not allowed to know are your parents," said Smith. Nationwide, most schools are not legally required to inform parents about gender transitions.

Meanwhile, support for parental rights has remained consistently strong across the country, according to polling published last May.

The SecondStreet.org-sanctioned poll said 57% of Canadians believe schools should inform parents if their child discusses changing their gender pronouns or transitioning. Only 18% disagreed with this statement, while 25% didn't know.

Over half (54%) of Albertans and Saskatchewanians believe schools should inform parents on attempted social transitions by their children.

"I don't want any child to feel regret for their decision or feel that they made it prematurely," Smith told CTV News in an earlier interview. According to Alberta Health, 23 minors received ‘top surgery’ in the province last year.

"No matter how well-intentioned and sincere, [that] poses a risk to that child’s future that I, as premier, am not comfortable with permitting in our province," she said at the time.

On March 13, Rebel asked Smith if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broached the subject with her during his visit to the province. "He did, and I also raised the recent decision of the National Health Service (NHS) to move forward with banning puberty blockers for youngsters," she replied.

"The government is introducing policies across several ministries to preserve the choices children and youth have before potentially making life-altering and often irreversible adult decisions," added Blackett.

After a lengthy review, the NHS concluded that there is "not enough evidence" to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty-suppressing hormones for minors. They found there was "limited short-term and long-term safety data" for puberty blockers with irreversible impacts including an "expected increase in lumbar or femoral bone density during puberty."

At the time, Smith committed to following the international evidence on the matter.

"We’re going to take a review of our current medical practices," she said. "We have to make sure there is some rigor around that process."

Alberta Canada Gender Social Justice Warriors Health & Medical news Alberta Legislature transgender
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