Senior Public Health Agency of Canada officials faced pointed questions from a Conservative MP Tuesday over the federal government's use of gender-neutral terms such as “pregnant people” and “birth parent” instead of women and mothers.Conservative MP Vincent Ho (Richmond Hill South, Ont.) challenged Public Health Agency president Nancy Hamzawi during a Commons science committee hearing, demanding an explanation for terminology adopted in federal public health guidance.“You can’t answer a simple question about biological reality?” Ho asked after repeatedly questioning officials about the medical distinction between a pregnant person and a pregnant woman.The exchange followed changes to language guidelines issued by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which announced April 29 it was “adapting to evolving language needs” in its public health communications.In a commentary published in the peer-reviewed Communicable Disease Report, the committee argued language could improve health outcomes by addressing what it described as discriminatory linguistic practices.“Language is a powerful tool that can be used to improve health outcomes if designed to address existing discriminatory linguistic practices,” the committee wrote.The document, titled Summary Of Approach To Inclusive Language In Vaccine Guidance, recommended using terminology that reflects individual preferences.“Clinical communication should use terminology that best resonates with each individual,” the authors wrote.The guidance also suggested terms such as breastfeeding could be uncomfortable for some patients.“Certain terms may be triggering to some populations, e.g. breast and breastfeeding, and this should be mitigated where possible,” the document stated.However, the authors acknowledged that replacing established medical terminology could create confusion.“The importance of scientific accuracy versus the desire to be inclusive through the use of gender-neutral language could lead to uncertainty,” they wrote, citing the use of “chestfeeding” instead of “breastfeeding” as an example..During Tuesday's hearing, Ho asked Hamzawi, whose annual salary was reported at $335,000, to explain the terminology in language Canadians could understand.“What is a pregnant person? Can you give Canadians a plain language definition?” Ho asked.“A pregnant person is a person who is pregnant,” Hamzawi replied.Ho then asked how a pregnant person differs medically from a pregnant woman.“A person may choose to, um, a pregnant person is a pregnant person,” Hamzawi responded before being interrupted.Ho pressed further, asking how someone who is not a woman could become pregnant.“You are the Public Health Agency of Canada. I’ve got four senior officials from the Agency, and you can’t answer a simple question about biological reality?” he asked.Hamzawi explained the terminology was intended to include individuals capable of becoming pregnant who do not identify as women.“There are pregnant people who do not identify themselves as women,” she said.Ho then asked whether a man could become pregnant.“A person who identifies as a man who has the biological capability to get pregnant, is pregnant,” Hamzawi replied.When Ho repeated the question, Hamzawi maintained that gender identity does not necessarily determine whether someone has the reproductive capacity to become pregnant.“A person who chooses to identify themselves as a man and has the biological ability to be pregnant, is pregnant,” she said..The Conservative MP also questioned the agency's use of the term “birth parent.”“What is a birth parent? Isn’t that just a mother?” Ho asked.“The individual who gave birth to the child is the birth parent of the child,” Hamzawi answered.Ho then asked whether the federal government believed Canadians should stop using the word mother.“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand the research,” Hamzawi responded.The Public Health Agency defended its approach in an August revision to the Canadian Immunization Guide, explaining that its terminology was intended to recognize transgender and non-binary individuals.“The Agency recognizes that not all people giving birth or breastfeeding will identify as women or mothers,” the guide stated.It said the revised chapter uses a “gender additive approach,” placing the word woman alongside gender-neutral terminology rather than eliminating it entirely.The agency said the approach was intended to address what it described as the historical exclusion of transgender and non-binary people from health communications.Statistics Canada's 2021 Census data identified approximately 0.33% of Canadians aged 15 and older as transgender or non-binary.The committee exchange highlighted disagreements over the federal government's approach to inclusive medical language, with Ho questioning its clarity and scientific precision while agency officials defended terminology intended to recognize different gender identities.
