Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre entered the ongoing debate on transgender rights on Wednesday, saying that "biological males" should be prevented from participating in women's sports and being in women's changing rooms and bathrooms.

Poilievre said in Kitchener, Ontario, on Wednesday: "Spaces designated for women should be female-only, not biological males."

The Conservative leader made these statements after being asked whether, as Prime Minister, he would introduce legislation to prevent "transgender women" or "biological men" from participating in women's sports or entering women's prisons and shelters.

Poilievre said: "Many spaces... are under the control of provinces and municipalities, so it is unclear... how far federal legislation can go in changing them."

He added: "But it is clear that women’s sports, changing rooms, and women's bathrooms should be reserved for females and not biological males."

Last month, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith revealed a list of controversial legislative changes expected to be introduced in the fall, which will significantly alter the gender identity of students in the province, sports policies, and surgery.

These changes include a pledge to prevent transgender women in Alberta from competing in women's sports leagues. However, Smith said her government would work with the province's sports federations to create mixed or gender-neutral sports divisions.

Puberty blockers

Smith said her government’s policies will also ban hormonal therapy, puberty blockers, and gender-affirming surgery for children aged 15 or younger.

Poilievre earlier this month said he does not support transgender children taking puberty blockers – drugs used to temporarily stop puberty before possible gender transition or other interventions, such as hormonal therapy.

When asked about Smith’s changes in the House of Commons lobby, Poilievre said the decision to pursue transgender treatments should be limited to adults only.

Poilievre said: "Puberty blockers for minors? I think we should protect children and their ability to make adult decisions when they become adults."

And when asked to clarify definitively whether he opposes the use of puberty blockers for people under 18, Poilievre said he does.

When asked about Smith’s changes in the House of Commons lobby, Poilievre said the decision to pursue transgender treatments should be limited to adults only.

Poilievre said: "Puberty blockers for minors? I think we should protect children and their ability to make adult decisions when they become adults."

And when asked to clarify definitively whether he opposes the use of puberty blockers for people under 18, Poilievre said he does.

Smith said the proposed changes mean that top and bottom sex reassignment surgeries will be banned for minors aged 17 and under (although bottom surgery is already limited to adults) and that teenagers aged 16 and 17 will only be able to start hormone therapy with permission from their parents, a doctor, and a psychologist.

Smith’s comprehensive changes will also require students aged 15 and under to get parental permission before they can use a name or pronoun at school other than the one they were given at birth.

New pronoun policy

This pronoun policy follows similar moves by New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs’ changes to policy 713 require school staff to obtain parental consent before allowing LGBTQ students under 16 to use their chosen names and pronouns in classrooms.

In October, Saskatchewan passed legislation requiring schools to get parental consent if a student wants to use a different pronoun or name.

The province used this condition to pass the legislation, but earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the legislation can still be challenged in court despite the use of the condition.

Following those policies and Smith’s policies, Poilievre previously said he "will allow parents to raise children and provinces to manage schools and hospitals. That is my logical approach."

Last fall, 69% of delegates at the Conservative Party policy conference voted for a proposal to prevent people under 18 from accessing "medical or surgical interventions that change their lives" to treat "gender dysphoria and gender disorder."