Parent of transgender youth reacts to Alberta government’s use of notwithstanding clause

In a historic move, Alberta has invoked the notwithstanding clause for the second time in less than a month — this time on legislation impacting transgender youth that the courts had previously blocked.

On Tuesday, the United Conservative Party (UCP) government introduced Bill 9, which uses the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to prevent legal challenges to three controversial laws affecting transgender and gender-diverse youth and adults.

For parents like Shawna Risdon, the move feels like government overreach. Risdon, a mother of six, says her family’s experience shows why decisions about transgender care should remain between parents, doctors, and their children.

“You’re 15, 16, nobody knows who they are at that age, you’re just figuring life out… don’t make any permanent decisions,”