OPINION: Unaddressed queer issues just as important as Manitoba NDP wins
Manitoba’s inaugural Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Visibility was the perfect photo-op.
The NDP government came out in full force at the Manitoba Legislative building on March 31 with promises to bolster gender-affirming care and strengthen human rights.
While having a dedicated day for generating awareness is important, the NDP shouldn’t get a free pass on criticism and accountability.
The province announced $473,000 in funding for Shared Health’s Gender Diversity and Affirming Action for Youth program, and about $1 million for the Trans Health Klinic.
Although some money is better than none — as patients continue to wait sometimes 10 months just to begin gender-affirming hormone treatment — there are still glaring holes in rural gender-affirming care waiting to be plugged.
The lack of doctors trained in gender-affirming care and safe spaces for queer people in rural Manitoba is still an issue and unaddressed.
The gender-affirming care funding mentioned in the announcement is for Winnipeg-based programs, leaving nothing for outside the Perimeter Highway. The province’s 2025 budget also had no mention of any funding for new or current gender-affirming care programs.
“It’s one thing for folks to say that they stand with our community, support with our community, and love our community, it’s another thing to act on that,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in an Instagram post on March 31.
Well, platitudes aren’t action. As advocates like Doctors Manitoba say there aren’t enough resources for gender-affirming care doctor training, the province has been mum and ignored questions about those concerns.
If the NDP want to stay true to supporting the trans and queer community, it needs to back that up with policy for all Manitobans, not just people in Winnipeg. Polished social media posts and charismatic words aren’t going to do that.
It means more doctors who are trained in gender-affirming care in rural communities and expanding the training to make that happen.
In fairness, the government announced two new bills that address longstanding issues. The Vital Statistics Amendment Act would allow someone to change their designated sex on a birth certificate without a doctor’s letter — a concern for some who saw it as an unnecessary hurdle in the process — while The Human Rights Code Amendment Act adds gender expression to the list of protected characteristics.
But we shouldn’t let the NDP off easy simply because they aren’t peddling the parental rights policy that the Progressive Conservatives previously campaigned on during the 2023 election.
People deserve a government that tackles the sustained issues rather than opting for easy wins.