Amend Canada Health Act
Petitioners ask the Canada Health Act be amended to recognize transgender and non‑binary youth as insured persons and to list puberty blockers and counselling as medically necessary. The government responds that provinces set coverage.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would require the Canada Health Act to cover gender-affirming care for trans and non-binary youth, addressing petitioners' concerns about poor access.
- Classifying puberty blockers and counselling as medically necessary could standardize coverage and reduce financial barriers for families.
- Petitioners cite WPATH and studies linking puberty blockers to better mental-health outcomes, so supporters argue this could reduce harms among vulnerable youth.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Provinces and territories already decide which services are insured, so a federal amendment may not guarantee immediate coverage.
- Pharmaceuticals and many mental-health services typically fall outside the Canada Health Act’s scope, limiting what an amendment can immediately accomplish.
- Advocates might prefer targeted provincial programs, clinical guidelines, or funding agreements rather than a statutory change to achieve consistent access.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to The House of Commons of Canada, Honourable Rechie Valdez and Honourable Marjorie Michel Whereas: The Canada Health Act sets out to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers; The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, specifically Section 15, protects LGBTQ+ rights by guaranteeing equality under the law and ensuring that individuals are not discriminated against based on gender identity; Transgender people are one of the most marginalized and suicidal demographics in our society and do not have reasonable access to health services to fully transition in their gender identity; Access to gender-affirming puberty blockers for Tran's youth is almost none existent. In some jurisdictions physicians are banned or about to be banned from prescribing puberty blockers; Puberty blockers are intended to allow patients more time to solidify their gender identity and give them a smoother transition into their desired gender identity as an adult. If a child later decides not to transition, the medication can be stopped and puberty will proceed; The World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care 8, published in 2022, declared puberty- blocking medication to be medically necessary and recommends them for usage in transgender adolescents once the patient has reached Tanner stage 2 of development, because longitudinal data shows improved outcomes for transgender patients who receive them. Puberty blockers are associated with such positive outcomes as decreased suicidality, improved affect and psychological functioning, and improved social life. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada, The Honourable Rechie Valdez, and the Honourable Marjorie Michel to: 1) Amend the Canada Health Act to explicitly include; transgender and non-binary youths and adolescents as insured persons 2) Amend the Canada Health Act to include puberty blockers and psychological counseling as medically necessary within the Canada Health Act.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi The Government of Canada is firmly committed to supporting access to gender-affirming, evidence-based, and high-quality health services for transgender and non-binary people, and their families. Provinces and territories are responsible for the organization, management and delivery of health services to residents in their jurisdiction. The federal government provides funding and other supports to provincial and territorial governments to improve access to health care, including mental health care. The Canada Health Act, Canada’s federal health care insurance legislation, establishes the criteria and conditions related to medically necessary hospital and physician services (i.e., insured health services) that the provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full federal cash contribution under the Canada Health Transfer. All eligible residents of Canadian provinces and territories are considered insured persons under the Canada Health Act. The Act is not prescriptive in this regard, except for those who are excluded due to coverage under other federal programs (Canadian Armed Forces and inmates in federal penitentiaries), as well as visitors to Canada. It is up to the provinces and territories, in consultation with the medical profession, to determine how to allocate health dollars and which health services are to be considered medically necessary and therefore covered by their respective health insurance plans. Public health insurance coverage for gender-affirming services varies across the country and these services are sometimes provided as an additional benefit rather than an insured service. These benefits are funded at provincial and territorial discretion, on their own terms and conditions. Pharmaceuticals fall outside the scope the Canada Health Act except when provided to in-patients or out-patients at a hospital. However, provinces and territories often provide some level of drug coverage (sometimes to certain populations) as an additional benefit and subject to their own terms and conditions. Similarly, mental health services fall outside the scope of the Canada Health Act, except when provided by psychiatrists and mental health services provided at acute care facilities (e.g., ERs, mental health beds in general hospitals). We are working collaboratively with provinces, territories and stakeholders to support a multi-disciplinary system that will integrate mental health as part of a patient-centred approach to health care so that mental health is supported across the continuum of care from promotion and prevention, to supports, services and treatment. To support this integrated approach, the Government of Canada established Working Together bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories to deliver new funding available as part of the $25 billion commitment, plus remaining funds from Budget 2017 for mental health and substance use services. Through the initial three year agreement, provinces and territories will receive $3.1 billion annually. In addition, programs such as the Youth Mental Health Fund, support improvements in youth mental health outcomes by enhancing access to and navigation of community-based mental health services for youth and their families, with a particular focus on equity-deserving groups, including youth who identify as 2SLBGBQI+ or any youth who face systemic barriers. The federal government also acknowledges the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines called “Standards of Care” (SOC), which provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transgender and gender-diverse children, youth, and adults with safe and effective pathways to care. The Government is monitoring with concern the rise in both misinformation and disinformation regarding transgender and non-binary people, especially youth, as well as harassment, intimidation, and threats against health care providers. Everyone in Canada should be able to access sexual and reproductive health resources and services in accordance with their needs, no matter where they live. Information regarding access to gender-affirming care can be found here: Gender-affirming care: Overview - Canada.ca.