OTTAWA — The Liberal government is closely monitoring a new law in Alberta that bans transgender athletes from competing in female-only sports. This law requires female athletes aged 12 and older to submit a form confirming they were assigned female at birth.

Alyson Fair, a spokesperson for Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden, emphasized the government's commitment to an inclusive sports system. "Our government believes in a sport system that provides opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel in sport, including the transgender community," Fair stated in an email. She added that discrimination against the transgender community in sports is unacceptable and detrimental to an already marginalized group.

Fair noted that her office, along with Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Valdez's office, will monitor the law's implementation this fall. She stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity and fairness of female sports, stating, "To emphasize, this is not a license to discriminate."

The law has drawn criticism from several prominent Liberals, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He accused the Alberta government of targeting vulnerable minors for political purposes when the policy was introduced last year. Trudeau described the measures, which also include mandatory parental notification for school pronoun changes and a ban on medical transitions for minors, as the "most anti-LGBT policies" in Canada.

The enforcement of the new sports law involves a complaint system. Individuals can challenge an athlete's eligibility by submitting a confidential form to the relevant school board or provincial sports organization. This form must include supporting information for the challenge. If the challenge is deemed valid, the athlete will be required to provide birth registration documents. Athletes who misrepresent their birth gender or refuse to submit the required documents will be permanently barred from competing in female sports in Alberta.

Vanessa Gomez, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport, stated that the law includes safeguards against false challenges. "Boards of in-scope entities may impose reasonable sanctions against any person who, in the opinion of the board, challenges the eligibility of an athlete in bad faith," Gomez explained. These sanctions could include written warnings or violations of the code of conduct.

Gomez did not provide examples of what might support a challenge, suggesting that such inquiries should be directed to the boards enforcing the policy. School boards in Calgary, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat have not yet responded to questions about how they will handle challenges under the new law.

Blaine Badiuk, a resident of Lethbridge who participated in consultations on the policy, expressed a cautious outlook on its implementation. "I think there has to be some kind of challenge mechanism in place to give the policy teeth, but it’s something that needs to be handled with the utmost discretion," Badiuk said. As a transgender individual, she hopes the challenge process will not lead to unwarranted scrutiny of female athletes based on their appearance, a practice known as "transvestigation."

The debate surrounding transgender athletes has already led to tense situations at sporting events. A notable incident occurred at a British Columbia school track meet in 2023, where a male spectator demanded that a nine-year-old girl prove her gender, drawing international attention.