LGBTQ+ activists call for Trudeau to step down, fearing Conservative victory

Photo: Kenneth Armstrong The Canadian Press Sarah Worthman says the Liberals would have a better chance of beating the Conservatives in the election if they replaced Justin Trudeau, but she didn't specify with whom.

The Canadian Press

Published yesterday at 10:36 a.m.

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LGBTQ+ activists say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to remain leader of the Liberal Party of Canada until the next election, despite declining public support, puts them at risk.

Queer rights advocates say a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would be dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community, and some are calling on Trudeau to step down to give the Liberals a better chance of winning the next election, which must be held by October 20, 2025.

Sarah Worthman, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Queer Research Initiative, says she has serious concerns about the potential harm a Conservative government could cause for LGBTQ+ Canadians.

She points to Poilievre’s comments that trans kids should not have access to puberty blockers and trans athletes should be banned from women’s sports and locker rooms.

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Worthman says the Liberals would have a better chance of beating the Conservatives in the election if they replaced Trudeau, but she didn’t specify with whom.

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A Conservative spokesperson did not respond directly to questions from The Canadian Press, but instead sent an email containing a series of transcribed responses Poilievre gave to reporters between June 2023 and February 2024 on LGBTQ+ issues.

Among those responses is Poilievre’s call for Canada to continue to provide sanctuary to persecuted LGBTQ+ people around the world, and that “feminine spaces should be exclusively reserved for women, not biological men.”

Worthman and Celeste Trianon, who runs a centre called Juritrans that helps trans people in Quebec change their legal name or gender marker, say the Liberals should follow the lead of the U.S. Democratic Party, which has seen a surge in support since President Joe Biden was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris as the party's candidate for the November presidential election.

Randy Boissonnault, the current employment minister who was previously Trudeau’s special advisor on LGBTQ+ issues, says queer people are right to be concerned about what might happen if Poilievre wins the next election.

However, Boissonnault maintains Trudeau is the best person to lead the party in another campaign, adding that the prime minister is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.