Alberta has introduced a trio of bills focusing on transgender people and students using preferred pronouns.

Premier Danielle SmithB次元官网网址檚 government proposed Thursday one bill that would require children under 16 to have parental consent if they want to change their names or pronouns at school.

Moments after the legislation was introduced in the legislature, LGBTQ+ organizations Egale and Skipping Stone Foundation announced they will be taking legal action, calling it discriminatory.

A similar law is on the books in Saskatchewan, where the government invoked the notwithstanding clause, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years.

Smith told reporters she believes the Charter allows for limits on rights and that her governmentB次元官网网址檚 restrictions are reasonable.

B次元官网网址淲e have all kinds of restrictions on the ability of minors to make decisions. And we do that because we want to make sure that they are at full capacity to be able to make decisions that are going to be consequential to them,B次元官网网址� she said.

The bill would also require parents to opt in for their children to be taught about sexual orientation and sexual and gender identity at school.

Smith said parents need to know whatB次元官网网址檚 going on with their children.

Bennett Jensen, director of legal at Egale - one of two groups that also took the Saskatchewan government to court - told The Canadian Press none of the policies are reasonable or balanced, and run counter to the expert consensus and evidence.

B次元官网网址淚t violates the Charter rights of Albertans and will cause devastating harm,B次元官网网址� he said.

Jensen said the courts have been clear that children and young people have rights, and governments cannot focus on a specific subset of young people and deny them rights.

When asked how the rules would be enforced in schools, Smith said the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission has the ability to discipline teachers if they defy the governmentB次元官网网址檚 direction.

The requirements would not apply in First Nations schools, but two-spirit Indigenous students in provincially run schools would be subject to them.

The second bill would prohibit doctors from treating those under 16 seeking transgender treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

Currently, national policy restricts bottom surgery across Canada to those 18 and over, and such procedures donB次元官网网址檛 take place in Alberta.

The bill would also ban regulated health professionals from performing any gender-affirming surgery, including top surgery, on minors.

Jensen said the legislation singles out transgender youth, while still allowing non-transgender youth to get top surgery or to receive hormone therapy and puberty blockers for medical reasons.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 discriminatory, and itB次元官网网址檚 based in bias,B次元官网网址� he said.

Government officials said top surgery is very rare. Smith said the government doesnB次元官网网址檛 know how many minors are accessing puberty blockers or hormone therapy.

B次元官网网址淲e just want to make sure that itB次元官网网址檚 very clear that those are adult decisions to be made by adults,B次元官网网址� she said.

Kellie-Lynn Pirie, who underwent a transition before reverting back to her birth sex, is the founder of DeTrans Alliance Canada. She said at a government news conference that she wasnB次元官网网址檛 ready to make the life-altering decision even as an adult.

B次元官网网址淭his is simply not a decision we can expect children to make,B次元官网网址� she said.

The third bill would ban transgender athletes from competing in female amateur sports and require school and sports organizations to report eligibility complaints.

The government said itB次元官网网址檚 aiming to protect fairness and safety in sports.

Sport Minister Joseph Schow said sex registration at birth would determine competitive eligibility. Such documentation is accessible through provincial authorities.

Smith said she wants to see sports leagues create mixed-gender divisions to ensure all athletes can compete.

Many organizations have spoken out against the policies, first announced nine months ago, including Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Medical Association and the Alberta TeachersB次元官网网址� Association.

The proposed legislation comes days before members of SmithB次元官网网址檚 United Conservative Party are set to vote in her leadership review Saturday.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said SmithB次元官网网址檚 government is B次元官网网址減icking on vulnerable peopleB次元官网网址� to pander to her partyB次元官网网址檚 base.

He said heB次元官网网址檚 heard from some 4,500 Albertans B次元官网网址渄eeply hurtB次元官网网址� by the policies in just the past week.

Asked about the premierB次元官网网址檚 position that the legislation is in line with the Charter, he said he suspects most courts would disagree. He urged Smith to let the courts decide.

Nenshi said his party wants every Albertan, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, to not have to worry about whether their rights will be stripped.

Janis Irwin, an openly gay NDP MLA, said sheB次元官网网址檚 heard from thousands of people who feel they B次元官网网址渄onB次元官网网址檛 have a placeB次元官网网址� in Alberta.

Marni Panas, a transgender woman, said there is a lot of misinformation and lies about transgender people and gender-affirming care.

B次元官网网址淚f you get to know us B次元官网网址� you would start to understand that weB次元官网网址檙e nothing to be afraid of,B次元官网网址� she said.