Canadian Transgender People Avoid Crackdowns With Liberal Election Victory

In the lead-up to the Canadian elections on Tuesday, many transgender people were worried about the trajectory of rights in the country. Now, many may be able to rest easily.

Photo from social media // Lee West

Last night, Canada’s Liberal Party, led by Mark Carney, secured a victory in the 2025 federal election. Though the party fell short of an outright majority, it will retain control of the government. The campaign’s final stretch was marred by a surge in anti-trans rhetoric from the Conservative Party, with leader Pierre Poilievre releasing platform guidance that suggested possible bathroom bans and restrictions on transgender prisoners. In contrast, Carney—whose public support for LGBTQ+ rights has included his nonbinary child—offered a starkly different vision. For queer Canadians and those seeking refuge in a country that affirms their rights, the outcome was an unambiguous win.

The outcome was uncertain as the election drew near—but for transgender Canadians, a Conservative victory would have spelled disaster. Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, has repeatedly championed anti-transgender policies. “Female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males,” he said in 2024, signaling opposition to trans people using restrooms that align with their gender identity. He also pledged to introduce legislation banning transgender women from women’s sports. In the final week of his campaign, his platform escalated further, promising restrictions on transgender prisoners and vowing to “ensure that women’s spaces and services remain protected in federal institutions and policy.” Canada, for a moment, stood on the brink of replicating the past three months of anti-trans rollbacks seen under Trump’s second presidency in the United States.

On the flip side, Canada’s Liberal Party has long positioned itself as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. Its platform highlights legislative protections for gender identity and expression and touts investments in LGBTQ+ community service organizations. The party also takes a firm stance against conversion therapy—a practice seeing renewed traction globally, particularly targeting transgender people. While many queer and trans Canadians may still wish their government would go further, the political contrast with the United States—where far-right victories have rapidly eroded LGBTQ+ rights—serves as a stark warning of what was at risk.

The dangers were certainly visible when looking south to the United States—whose influence may have helped push Canadian voters toward the Liberal Party. In the final days of the campaign, Trump openly called for Canada to become the “51st state,” underscoring the stakes. Had Canada elected a conservative majority, it’s unclear which U.S. policies would have followed. In the United States, transgender people are now barred from changing their passport gender markers, some face arrest for using public restrooms, and references to gender identity have been scrubbed from government websites and nonprofit organizations alike.

While the Liberal victory was significant, transgender Canadians still face serious challenges in several provinces. In Alberta, transgender youth under the age of 16 were recently targeted with bills barring them from accessing gender-affirming care. Teachers are required to deadname and misgender students without parental consent, and a sports ban remains in effect. Similar policies have taken hold in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. In many ways, Canada is now confronting the early stages of the anti-trans backlash that swept across the United States just a few years ago.

Nevertheless, a Liberal victory at this moment—amid an unprecedented wave of global anti-trans campaigning—is deeply significant. It sends a message not only to Canadians, but to transgender people around the world who are watching closely. As more individuals seek temporary or permanent refuge in Canada to escape the escalating assault on their rights in the United States, the country is poised to remain a rare beacon of safety and dignity in a political landscape where attacking transgender people has become one of the right’s biggest weapons.