Premier’s announcement on transgender policies surprised Alberta Health Services advisory group [Video]

Members of the body that advises Alberta Health Services about 2SLGBTQ+ health care were surprised by Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed transgender policies announcement earlier this year, according to internal records obtained by CBC News.

In a video posted to social media on Jan. 31, Smith laid out a host of proposed policies focused on transgender youth, including several regarding gender-affirming care. She formally announced the policies at a news conference the following day.

Records obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request highlight concerns raised by members of the AHS Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) provincial advisory council in the days after the premier announced the proposed policies.

“This announcement is politically motivated and not based in fact or clinical guidelines,” one council member wrote in a Feb. 2 email to two named AHS officials and other recipients whose email addresses were redacted. The sender’s identity was also protected under privacy legislation.

“I …