Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling Alberta’s new proposals on the treatment of transgender youth the “most anti-LGBT of anywhere in the country.”

Trudeau says that if Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants to fight to make life better for Canadians, she should fight for better housing and affordable groceries or against climate change.

Trudeau made the comments while speaking to reporters in Waterloo, Ont.

Smith has announced a ban on gender reassignment surgery for those 17 and under and no hormone therapies for anyone 15 and under.

The province will also clamp down on transgender female athletes competing in female sport.

Physicians and transgender advocates have called the changes intrusive and harmful, but Smith says they’re needed to ensure youth don’t make life-altering medical decisions they would later regret as adults.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press