I’m sure most of our readers have heard about the most recent actions of Premier Danielle Smith in Alberta. Certainly, there is cause to celebrate because Ms. Smith has taken what—in Canadian politics today—is considered a very bold step. For that we give her credit. The Alberta premier, not usually considered a social conservative, has fired a shot over the bow of LGBT activists and has pushed the pause button on the alarming rise in recent years of the genital mutilation of teenagers.

In her announcement last week of an upcoming “Parental Rights Bill,” Premier Smith laid out several definitive areas of concern that she was addressing . . . and her message came as a breath of fresh air to concerned parents, female athletes and to many young people in the province who have been subjected to increasing pressure to conform to a relatively new set of assumptions about biology, human health and what it means to be tolerant.

Premier Smith’s declaration is a courageous first step, and she now leads other Premiers in her willingness to address this sensitive and controversial topic. Here are a few of her main points. Under new legislation in Alberta:

For Albertans age 17 and under, ”top and bottom” surgeries will no longer be permitted.

For Albertans age 15 and under, puberty blockers and hormone therapies will no longer be permitted (with the exception of those who have already commenced treatment). Also, for this age group, parental consent will be required before a school may change a student’s name or pronouns.

In Alberta, “mature minors” age 16 and 17 will still be permitted to commence hormone treatment for the purpose of gender reassignment (but only with parental, physician and psychologist approval).

In public schools, when sexuality and gender orientation will be discussed in the classroom, parents will be advised and will have the right to opt-in. Without their approval, students will not participate.

Biological males—including those who have undergone transition surgery—will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s and girls’ athletic competition in Alberta.

These changes—while very welcome—still leave huge gaps in a full societal response to the tsunami of gender confusion that has been largely responsible for sweeping changes in public policy, ridiculous and unwarranted expenditures of taxpayer dollars, basic worldview manipulation at all levels of education and a dismantling of the cohesive family unit designed by God for the growth and stability of mankind on earth.

What has been left out of Premier Smith’s declaration of her new policies is telling. In no way do we wish to denigrate her efforts to protect and preserve the family as the building block of society and to protect young children from the consequences of disastrous choices they might make—and many already have made—due to outside influence, when they were not yet mature enough to understand the implications of those choices.

However, the Premier’s speech is replete with compensatory language meant to placate the strident activists and media spokespeople who have already taken her to task for her initiatives. For diehard proponents of gender identity theory, no self-imposed restraint is enough. The only thing that they can tolerate from politicians is complete and total surrender to self-identified gender awareness, state-funded promotion of gender reassignment, public acknowledgment of gender diversity and public approval of any and all forms of sexual interaction without regard to age or conscience. You cannot pacify this element with half-measures. Premier Smith believes she has found a balance that will satisfy most voters and avoid the pitfalls of a too-aggressive policy. Time will tell.

The balancing points that gave her the courage to take this step are: parental rights, the rights of women and girls to compete on a fair basis, and the irreversible harm done to young lives based on decisions made at a very early and vulnerable age. By sticking to these points she is able to defend these policies, even under attack. We understand her dilemma but we think she should have gone farther.

The Premier—our appreciation for what she’s done and her willingness to take the flak, notwithstanding, has left the following on the table in an attempt to appease the Left:

Alberta will still perform “gender reassignment surgery” on adults. Taxpayers will still pay for it.

Alberta is establishing a new agency and hiring new “experts” in the field of gender reassignment surgery and follow-up care. Your tax dollars at work.

No mention was made in her remarks of access to washrooms, change rooms and showers. Will female students, athletes and swimmers still be subject to the unwelcome presence of biological males claiming (with or without surgery) to be transgender females?

The Premier herself referred to biological males who have had reassignment surgery as transgender females. She recognizes the difference in muscle mass and strength between biological females and those who have removed male body parts, but she has not stated the obvious: there are only two genders.

A society can only achieve true health and stability when it accepts and endorses the God who created us . . . the one who made us “male and female” and embraces His gracious design for family and marriage. The CHP advocates for a return to the godly principles that once made Canada great!