First Nation defies Alberta to protect gender-affirming care
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The Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada is establishing a safe haven to provide gender-affirming medical care for transgender and two-spirit children, challenging a new provincial law.
The First Nation asserts its right to provide healthcare based on Treaty 6, signed in 1876, specifically referencing a “medicine chest clause” that they interpret as a promise of comprehensive health services.
Chief Dale Steinhauer stated the nation will protect all children, including those who are transgender, under the terms of the treaty. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government recently passed a law prohibiting doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to transgender and gender-diverse children under 16, using the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to prevent court challenges. The First Nation views this law as a denial of basic human rights and life-saving care.
Political analyst Lori Williams noted this action follows a pattern of disagreements between Alberta First Nations and the provincial government, worsened by what she described as disrespectful comments from the premier and her staff toward Indigenous people and their rights. The Saddle Lake Cree Nation is now seeking clinicians to provide care on their reserve land and raising funds to establish health law and prepare for potential legal battles, promising to shield clinicians from professional sanctions.
