Premier Danielle Smith invoked her legislative last resort, using the notwithstanding clause to pass three bills in Alberta that aim to protect parental rights and girls and women's sports, along with preventing minors from undergoing harmful gender reassignment surgeries or hormonal treatments.

The policies are popular among conservative voters, but does one aspect encroach upon personal freedom?

On Wednesday's Buffalo Roundtable livestream, the panellists debated the pros and cons of Premier Smith's policies designed to stifle radical gender ideology.

The premier's policies are back “in line with the majority of the world,” said host Drea Humphrey, suggesting countries that went “off the deep end” in gender ideology, like the United Kingdom, are “coming back to sanity” on the matter.

Freedom Convoy activist Tamara Lich said she “grew up a tomboy” and could have been the type of child who was “all over” the idea of puberty blockers. But “how can you make a life-changing decision like that at such an age,” she said, applauding the move.

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These types of medical treatments, however, cause a bit of “tension” for law professor Bruce Pardy. “Parental rights, for me, is a no brainer,” he said. But the bill targeting medical treatment “is different,” Pardy continued.

“Even if the parents together, both parents and the child, want something to happen, then the government's not even going to allow it to happen.” Giving a child gender reassignment would be a “terrible, terrible idea,” he acknowledged, but suggested freedom means giving people the right to make their own decisions.

“If you live in a free country, then you should be able to decide your medical treatment for yourself,” Pardy said. “If you're committed to the idea of free choice, then you have to allow people to make bad choices too.”

Host Lise Merle disagreed, insisting Premier Smith was “shutting down the Munchausen by proxy mommies.” These types of parents are harming their children, “putting them on a medical pathway that would then get them attention.”

With the acceptance of the so-called transgender youth movement, “the Munchausen mommies disappeared — they don't exist anymore,” she said, adding Premier Smith is “protecting those kids from their crazy mothers.”

Pardy countered, warning to “be careful” because giving the state that kind of power “has all kinds of consequences.”