A BC NDP MP says children have rights but parents only have responsibilities.Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke) made his comments in the lobby of the House of Commons on February 8 in the context of the Alberta government's decision to stop puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and surgeries for those under 16. In response to a reporter's question, "Do you view this as a parental rights issue at all?" Garrison said no."Well, I'd like to say first of all, there's no such things as parental rights in Canada. There are parental responsibilities. And in Canadian family law the primary responsibility of parents is to support and affirm their kids. Children have rights in Canada and these kinds of policies restrict the rights that children have in Canada," Garrison said, concluding with a smile..Earlier in the day, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was against puberty blockers for minors."I think we should protect children, let them make adult decisions when they become adults," said Poilievre.Garrison, an MP since 2011, won't have to defend his stance at constituent doors, as he announced last April he would not seek re-election. Sooke Mayor Maja Tait became the official NDP candidate for the riding on August 31 by acclamation.The soon-departing MP, who is 72, is the NDP’s critic for justice and (sexual minority community) rights and is the deputy critic for national defence. According to Wikipedia, the former criminology and political science instructor at Camosun College is openly gay and lives in Esquimalt, BC with his partner Teddy Pardede. In 2022, he told Xtra magazine the late former NDP leader Jack Layton recruited him to run for office. In the article, he acknowledged his role in ending the ban on blood from men who have sex with men, on adding gender identity and expression to criminal code protections and having Canada welcome more sexual minority refugees. “It’s nice to have a few more queers in this Parliament,” Garrison told Xtra. “And a bit more diversity, especially in our caucus, with Blake Desjarlais, who is Two-Spirit, and Lisa Marie Barron, who is bisexual. The usual joke is that there are three of us, so we can have a caucus.”Poilievre has also received backlash from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the Conservative leader's stance on puberty blockers.“The fact that Premier Smith and Pierre Poilievre want government to take away the option for parents and their vulnerable youth, in consultation with their doctors, to make the right decisions for them is anchored in ideology and is not about protecting the most vulnerable,” Trudeau said on Parliament Hill. “Our government will do whatever it takes to protect the most vulnerable.”However, Poilievre said Trudeau was grandstanding."Justin Trudeau is again pumping out his chest, trying to divide Canadians and attack parents who are trying to protect their kids. He will in the end have to back down on this, just like he had to back down on his firearms policy, just like he had to back down on medical assistance in dying for people suffering from medical illness," Poilievre said."He's not interested in protecting kids. He's interested in using this as a divisive wedge to distract from doubling housing costs and quadrupling carbon taxes on our people."
A BC NDP MP says children have rights but parents only have responsibilities.Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke) made his comments in the lobby of the House of Commons on February 8 in the context of the Alberta government's decision to stop puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and surgeries for those under 16. In response to a reporter's question, "Do you view this as a parental rights issue at all?" Garrison said no."Well, I'd like to say first of all, there's no such things as parental rights in Canada. There are parental responsibilities. And in Canadian family law the primary responsibility of parents is to support and affirm their kids. Children have rights in Canada and these kinds of policies restrict the rights that children have in Canada," Garrison said, concluding with a smile..Earlier in the day, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was against puberty blockers for minors."I think we should protect children, let them make adult decisions when they become adults," said Poilievre.Garrison, an MP since 2011, won't have to defend his stance at constituent doors, as he announced last April he would not seek re-election. Sooke Mayor Maja Tait became the official NDP candidate for the riding on August 31 by acclamation.The soon-departing MP, who is 72, is the NDP’s critic for justice and (sexual minority community) rights and is the deputy critic for national defence. According to Wikipedia, the former criminology and political science instructor at Camosun College is openly gay and lives in Esquimalt, BC with his partner Teddy Pardede. In 2022, he told Xtra magazine the late former NDP leader Jack Layton recruited him to run for office. In the article, he acknowledged his role in ending the ban on blood from men who have sex with men, on adding gender identity and expression to criminal code protections and having Canada welcome more sexual minority refugees. “It’s nice to have a few more queers in this Parliament,” Garrison told Xtra. “And a bit more diversity, especially in our caucus, with Blake Desjarlais, who is Two-Spirit, and Lisa Marie Barron, who is bisexual. The usual joke is that there are three of us, so we can have a caucus.”Poilievre has also received backlash from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the Conservative leader's stance on puberty blockers.“The fact that Premier Smith and Pierre Poilievre want government to take away the option for parents and their vulnerable youth, in consultation with their doctors, to make the right decisions for them is anchored in ideology and is not about protecting the most vulnerable,” Trudeau said on Parliament Hill. “Our government will do whatever it takes to protect the most vulnerable.”However, Poilievre said Trudeau was grandstanding."Justin Trudeau is again pumping out his chest, trying to divide Canadians and attack parents who are trying to protect their kids. He will in the end have to back down on this, just like he had to back down on his firearms policy, just like he had to back down on medical assistance in dying for people suffering from medical illness," Poilievre said."He's not interested in protecting kids. He's interested in using this as a divisive wedge to distract from doubling housing costs and quadrupling carbon taxes on our people."
