Conservative Party

The real threat to gender-diverse children is the politicization of care issues like puberty blockers and detransition

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

“I think that we should protect children and their ability to make adult decisions when they’re adults,” Poilievre said.

Key Points: 
  • “I think that we should protect children and their ability to make adult decisions when they’re adults,” Poilievre said.
  • Poilievre is one among many politicians to wade into debates surrounding gender-affirming health care in recent years.
  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has proposed controversial policies that would affect gender-diverse youth, including prohibiting puberty blockers for children aged 15 and under.

Fertility and gender-affirming medicine

  • Two opinion columnists recently wrote about gender-affirming care for minors, making drastically different remarks about the fertility implications of this care.
  • Research on fertility outcomes is lackluster to begin with, but outcomes are highly sensitive to whether puberty blockers were taken prior to starting cross-sex hormones and the stage of puberty.
  • However, for transgender people who begin cross-sex hormones after undergoing at least some natal puberty, fertility does not seem to be permanently affected.

Puberty blockers

  • When puberty blockers were first tested for use with gender dysphoric youth, transgender adults were being coercively sterilized.
  • In fact, fertility is not the only issue at stake with puberty blockers.
  • A team of Dutch clinicians who were among the first to offer transgender children puberty blockers recently acknowledged that these drugs may not be just a “pause button” to explore identity, as originally intended.
  • But there are also major consequences involved in delaying or withholding treatment with puberty blockers, which could hurt transgender girls more than boys.
  • Poilievre gives the wrong impression by saying that “we should protect the rights of parents to make their own decision with regards to their children,” because, given the age of the child, parents are typically involved in the decision to start puberty blockers.

Detransition debate

  • Detransition also tops the list.
  • On one side, opponents of gender-affirming care distort studies to argue detransition has reached epidemic proportions and draw from testimonies of regretful detransitioners as a “cautionary tale against medical transitioning.” Proponents retort by dismissing detransition either by alluding to its “rarity,” using outdated and flawed studies, or by decoupling the experience from regret.
  • As a result, the public is exposed to two different sets of “facts,” none of which reflect the heterogeneity that we and others have encountered in researching detransition — different psychological, medical and social motives for detransitioning; a range of emotions including regret, resilience, and satisfaction; expansive patterns of identity discovery and fluidity.

Guidelines, dilemmas and the need for high-quality research

  • But that does not mean the science is settled or that the medicine has no room for improvement.
  • Gender-affirming care is riddled with ethical dilemmas that have spilled over into an explosive political situation.
  • The changing landscape of transgender health care, debates about puberty blockers and detransition are all low-hanging fruit for opportunistic politicians like Poilievre.
  • He is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
  • Pablo Expósito-Campos receives funding from the Predoctoral Research Fellowship Program of the Government of the Basque Country, Spain.

New Book by Michael Ashcroft 'Red Queen? The Unauthorised Biography of Angela Rayner'

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 22, 2024

LONDON, Jan. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Angela Rayner is one of the most arresting figures in British politics today. A self-declared socialist, she pursued an unorthodox route into politics, leaving school aged 16 while pregnant having gained no formal qualifications. After becoming a care worker, she was a trade union representative before entering the House of Commons in 2015 as the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne. She served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Education for four years from 2016 and was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in April 2020.

Key Points: 
  • A self-declared socialist, she pursued an unorthodox route into politics, leaving school aged 16 while pregnant having gained no formal qualifications.
  • After becoming a care worker, she was a trade union representative before entering the House of Commons in 2015 as the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne.
  • Michael Ashcroft's new book follows the journey of a politician who has quickly become an outspoken and charismatic presence in British public life.
  • Lord Ashcroft is an award-winning author who has written twenty-seven other books, largely on politics and bravery.

Why David Cameron's past and present relations with China could be Rishi Sunak's first big political headache of 2024

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Almost immediately after being appointed as foreign secretary, David Cameron’s ties with China generated difficult headlines for Rishi Sunak’s government.

Key Points: 
  • Almost immediately after being appointed as foreign secretary, David Cameron’s ties with China generated difficult headlines for Rishi Sunak’s government.
  • Cameron’s time in office has been described as a “golden era” for UK-China relations.
  • But now, in a very different political climate, de Pulford has accused the new foreign secretary of “shilling for the UK’s biggest security threat”.

The ups and downs of UK-China relations

  • The policies merely noted China’s continuing economic rise and argued that the UK should engage with it to resolve common problems.
  • China was bundled into a broad, rather vague category of “rising powers” that the UK would aim to engage with more closely.
  • By hosting the Tibetan leader, Cameron triggered great upset in Beijing, which placed relations with the UK in a “deep freeze” for nearly 18 months.

Warming up

  • This peaked in the autumn of 2015 when Xi made his state visit to the UK.
  • At a joint press conference, Cameron declared that China and the UK shared strong economic, diplomatic, and “people-to-people” links.
  • He declared that the UK and China “share an interest in a stable and ordered rule” in international affairs.

Cooling down

  • Cameron’s ties with China have the potential to aggravate tensions with backbench MPs who are already restive.
  • His party is currently divided over any number of other issues and primed to fall out over any number of others.
  • Meanwhile, a noticeable gap in intentions between senior members of the government risks sending confusing signals to China.
  • Ultimately, it will be up to Cameron’s current boss, Rishi Sunak, to try and resolve these tensions – ideally, before a major crisis breaks.


Timothy Oliver does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Will the supply-and-confidence deal between the Liberals and NDP survive in 2024?

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, December 30, 2023

The deal eased the uncertainty facing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government while allowing the NDP to take credit for some of the government’s social policy announcements.

Key Points: 
  • The deal eased the uncertainty facing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government while allowing the NDP to take credit for some of the government’s social policy announcements.
  • That’s because of the Trudeau government’s failure in 2023 to deliver on pharmacare, a central aspect of the March 2022 agreement.

Past agreements

  • Inter-party agreements in Canadian Parliament are extremely rare.
  • Such supply-and-confidence agreements are common elsewhere in the Commonwealth, but largely unprecedented in Canadian politics.

Three factors at play

  • First, since Trudeau became prime minister in late 2015, the Liberals and NDP have moved closer together.
  • The two parties share more policies than in the past, especially in the area of social policy.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, provided an opportunity for greater co-operation in the design and implementation of temporary and expansive emergency measures.
  • Second, public support over the last four years has left the Liberals and the NDP in a tricky situation.

Political tensions

  • But currently, growing tensions between the Liberals and the NDP make the future of the agreement increasingly uncertain.
  • That’s largely because of the recent sharp decline in public support for the Liberals.
  • Singh has suggested the Liberals have only agreed to enact progressive policies that truly help Canadians when forced to do so by the NDP.

Death of the deal ahead?

  • Those types of agreements are much more common in Canada’s minority parliaments than formal legislative coalitions like the existing supply-and-confidence agreement.
  • The question for the NDP is whether it’s better off electorally with or without the agreement.


Daniel Béland receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Louis Massé receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

National Association of Friendship Centres Applauds Multi-Party Reception, Advocates for Crucial Priorities

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 30, 2023

OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased with the success of its first-ever multi-party reception hosted by the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the New Democrat Party, the Bloc Québécois, and the Green Party.

Key Points: 
  • OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased with the success of its first-ever multi-party reception hosted by the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the New Democrat Party, the Bloc Québécois, and the Green Party.
  • This unprecedented event provided an inclusive platform for Friendship Centre delegates to champion the integration of Friendship Centre priorities across party lines, with a particular focus on long-term sustainable funding, emergency response mechanisms for natural disasters such as wildfires, and the devolution of services to urban Indigenous communities.
  • The National Association of Friendship Centres remains steadfast in its commitment to building strong partnerships and fostering open dialogues with all political parties.
  • The organization believes that collaborative efforts are instrumental in creating policies that reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of urban Indigenous peoples across Canada.

The National Association of Friendship Centres Strengthens Dialogue with the Conservative Party of Canada in Roundtable Event

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 28, 2023

OTTAWA , Nov. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased with the successful outcome of a significant roundtable event hosted by the Conservative Party of Canada.

Key Points: 
  • OTTAWA , Nov. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased with the successful outcome of a significant roundtable event hosted by the Conservative Party of Canada.
  • The event provided an invaluable platform for Friendship Centre delegates to advocate for the critical work they do and better align the common priorities of Friendship Centre and the Conservative Party.
  • The roundtable, held on November 27, 2023, in Ottawa, facilitated a constructive dialogue between representatives of the Friendship Centre Movement, the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, and Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party.
  • “The Conservative Party was the first to reach out to NAFC for a dialogue on urban Indigenous matters.

Canada-India crisis: India's post-colonial era explains why it's on edge about Sikh separatism

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Any Canadian diplomats in India past Oct. 10 are expected to lose their immunity.

Key Points: 
  • Any Canadian diplomats in India past Oct. 10 are expected to lose their immunity.
  • The high-profile diplomatic crisis has confirmed rumours of longstanding tensions between the two countries over the issue of Sikh separatism in the Indian state of Punjab.

The facts so far

    • Nijjar, a Canadian citizen wanted in India for alleged terrorist acts, was part of the Khalistan movement calling for a Sikh homeland separate from India’s Punjab state.
    • The movement is controversial because of its organized violence against Indian officials and terrorism-motivated tactics.
    • India and Canada have each expelled diplomats from their respective countries, and India has suspended visas for Canadians as the diplomatic crisis deepens.

Still to be revealed

    • Trudeau has yet to reveal the “credible evidence” provided by Five Eyes linking India to the crime.
    • The FBI has warned American-Sikh activists that their lives are in danger, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on India to co-operate with Canada and ensure “accountability” over the killing.
    • But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Indian government had a hand in Nijjar’s murder.

Fraught history

    • India has a painful history with separatism after it gained independence from British colonialism in 1947.
    • Shortly after that, diplomatic and later militaristic crisis over Jammu and Kashmir unfolded, which culminated in two wars between India and Pakistan and several armed engagements.
    • The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighbouring Nagaland is also a thorny issue for Indian authorities.

Existential crisis

    • On the other hand, India’s secessionist movements represent an existential crisis threatening everything India has worked towards for the past 76 years.
    • Nijjar’s murder, however, is also a matter of grave importance for Canada.
    • But both Canada and India will need to calculate the risks and repercussions of such a high-profile diplomatic rift in a highly globalized world.

What Wab Kinew's win in Manitoba reveals about the province's political history

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

His election is a break with recent Manitoba political history and a continuation of long history of Indigenous involvement in electoral politics in Manitoba.

Key Points: 
  • His election is a break with recent Manitoba political history and a continuation of long history of Indigenous involvement in electoral politics in Manitoba.
  • A 2019 Act passed by the Manitoba legislature did just that when it named Riel Manitoba’s first premier.
  • The title of first Indigenous premier might also go to John Norquay, Manitoba’s elected premier from 1878 to 1887.

Settler colonial order

    • Apart from outgoing Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson, all of them have been men.
    • This tells us a great deal about the settler colonial order that unfolded in Manitoba in the wake of the Manitoba Act of 1870 (which included the qualification that women could not vote), the dispersal and dispossession of Métis people, the Indian Act of 1876, the development of a reserve system and the creation of a federal system of Indian residential schools in the middle of the 1880s.
    • They were in force for part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Change in Manitoba

    • He is an Annishinaabeg, a citizen of Onigaming First Nation in the Treaty Three region of northwestern Ontario and the son of a residential school survivor.
    • This represents a significant change, but one that has been in the works for some time.
    • In government, Kinew will sit alongside seasoned and talented Indigenous legislators, most of them women.

Timbits and hockey

    • In a campaign managed by NDP veteran Brian Topp, Manitobans saw a genial, blue-suited Kinew offering Timbits and talking hockey.
    • When Kinew took the microphone at the Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and Pow Wow in Winnipeg’s downtown hockey arena three days before the election, he was in an orange Blue Bombers shirt.
    • The high-octane anti-Indigenous racism represented by the Conservative governments of Stefanson and Pallister appears to be no longer sustainable in Manitoba.

Political leaders need a grand narrative – Rishi Sunak's is a story of decline

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 2, 2023

Sunak recently watered down his climate change mitigation policies, and refused to “speculate” on the future of rail project HS2.

Key Points: 
  • Sunak recently watered down his climate change mitigation policies, and refused to “speculate” on the future of rail project HS2.
  • The Sunak government is seemingly unable to reverse a harmful narrative or maintain its own.
  • But political leaders are successful when they present a grand narrative and find a way to connect themselves to it.
  • Simply finding a bigger narrative is not enough – political leaders must be compelling characters within their narrative.

Contradictions in Sunak’s narrative

    • The audience (in this case, the voting public) must feel able to personally connect with the narrative and the narrator.
    • It is difficult to align yourself with a revival narrative, or an everyman narrative, from a position of privilege.
    • It’s possible that Sunak’s wealth and privilege may render him singularly incapable of connecting to a bigger narrative at this moment in British history.

A narrative of decline

    • As argued in an article in The Economist: “There is just one problem with this narrative.
    • He may follow the example of Thatcher: when faced with a decline narrative, she chose not to reverse it but to embrace it – and blame it on her opponents.
    • Whatever Sunak decides, reversing the narrative of an impending British collapse or leveraging decline to his advantage, his search for a grand narrative is already replete with incongruities.
    • In the end, the stark realities outside Westminster may force him to acknowledge decline and his role within it.

Pierre Poilievre is a career politician: Is that good or bad?

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, October 1, 2023

Political commentators credit this polling success to the popular appeal of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Key Points: 
  • Political commentators credit this polling success to the popular appeal of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
  • The same political background that makes Poilievre an effective parliamentarian may make him vulnerable to being characterized as out of touch by opposition parties and voters.

Career politicians

    • According to King, career politicians are parliamentarians who devote their professional life to politics, entering politics in their 30s and leaving at retirement age.
    • Poilievre closely matches King’s definition of a career politician.
    • It’s safe to say he’s the textbook definition of a career politician.

The benefits of career politicians

    • Poilievre’s background has obvious advantages to his own career and the success of the Conservative Party.
    • For one, his long career in politics, including as a political staffer, has given him a keen understanding of the legislative process.

The problem with career politicians

    • The most common criticism of career politicians is that they are insulated from life outside of formal politics.
    • Poilievre has likely heard concerns and demands from Canadians inside and outside of his constituency as Conservative leader and MP for Ottawa’s Carleton riding.
    • Prof. Donald Savoie of the University of Moncton has suggested that:
      “Career politicians … bring a narrow skill set to their governance.
    • But they lack the ability to test policy prescriptions against
      experiences gained outside politics.”
      “Career politicians … bring a narrow skill set to their governance.

Out of touch

    • His recent popularity appears to stem from talking about the issues Canadians care about.
    • If Poilievre becomes prime minister, he’ll have a hard time maintaining popularity if he focuses primarily on partisanship.
    • The fact that both Trudeau and Poilievre can be described as out of touch raises broader questions about representation in Canada.