Proposed legislation for women-only sports tabled in the B.C. legislature by the provincial Conservative Party has been defeated by the governing NDPs.
Conservative Party Leader John Rustad introduced the Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act on April 30, saying it was the first of its kind in Canada.
“I’m proud to say before this House, the amazing women and girls who are here with us today, that this piece of legislation is not only the first of its kind in Canada, but it was an entirely female-led initiative from start to finish. The bill was written by women and girls for women and girls,” he said in the legislature.
The bill would require that sports and athletic teams, events, and tournaments that are publicly funded must be limited to biological females, Mr. Rustad said.
“Maintaining opportunities for female athletes to demonstrate their strength, skills, and athletic abilities and to provide them with the opportunity to obtain recognition and accolades, university scholarships, and numerous other short- and long-term benefits that result from participating in competing in athletic endeavors in the province of British Columbia separate from their male counterparts is just common sense,” he said.
“Female athletes deserve fair representation and the opportunity to work hard to achieve their dreams,” Mr. Rustad said in a news release.
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The bill was defeated in a 51–27 vote, with the NDP voting against it and the Conservatives and the official opposition, the BC United Party, in favour.
April Hutchinson, a female powerlifter for Team Canada, attended the legislative session, which she said was “emotional” and “disappointing.”
“It was very emotional because it’s something I’ve been struggling with for almost two years,” she told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.
“It’s still shocking that anyone says no or does not support fairness for little girls and women. It’s absolutely crazy.”
Ms. Hutchinson was suspended by the Canadian Powerlifting Union in November 2023 for speaking out against transgender athletes competing against women.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care if I ever powerlift again. But I do care for the future generations and we need to restore integrity, fairness, and safety back to our sports,” she said.
Performance coach Linda Blade said in the news release that there are fundamental differences between biological male and female bodies that need to be acknowledged.
“There is a reason sports have always been divided into men’s and women’s categories and that reason has not suddenly changed in 2024,” she said.
The Epoch Times reached out to Premier David Eby’s office and the United Party but did not hear back by publication time.
The move comes after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a similar policy for her province on earlier this year.
Ms. Smith said the new policy will reduce “unfair disadvantages” that young women and girls experience when competing against transgender athletes.
At the time, the premier said that she believed transgender individuals should be able to participate in sports, but not at the expense of opportunities for biological women and girls.
The policy would require sporting organizations to have women-only competitions as well as expand opportunities for transgender athletes in co-ed categories or other gender-neutral options.
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