NDP House Leader Christina Gray speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the first week of the fall session of the Alberta Legislature.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: Let’s start with this trio of bills focused largely on transgender youth. You have had a day now to review the law. What sets you apart from the opposition’s point of view?

Christine Gray: The bills that have been introduced are some of the most anti-trans and anti-sex education laws we have seen across the country and contrary to what the Prime Minister has said, they take away choice and rights and prey on vulnerable children.

Yesterday was a really difficult day for many Albertans who feel less safe in this province and who feel hurt by this law. The official opposition is strongly opposed to this and we are very concerned about the consequences this will have on children here in Alberta.

MH: Where do you think this will lead the relationship between doctors and patients?

CG: Danielle Smith inserted herself, so she is now in the doctor’s office with doctors, parents, patients, taking away her right to choose what is considered in many parts of the world to be best medical practice in matters of options regarding access. to puberty blockers, when it comes to accessing gender-affirming care.

A lot of misinformation has been introduced into the health debate. They are talking about removing access to bottom surgery, which does not exist anywhere in Canada. They’re really going further than what we’ve seen with anti-trans legislation than in any other part of the country.

Unfortunately, we know from some peer-reviewed studies that when a jurisdiction passes legislation like this, we actually see some of our most vulnerable children have increasing rates of self-harm, suicide and of roaming.

This will harm the children of our province. We are very, very concerned about this.

MH: How do you think these bills will hold up to the government’s proposed amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights announced Monday?

CG: We’ve had the opportunity to really examine what this is about and even begin some of the debate in the Legislature, and in reality the amendments are nothing more than desperate virtue signaling review of the Prime Minister’s leadership.

Our fundamental human rights are already protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No provincial bill can overturn them. The UCP continues to focus on anti-vaccine positions rather than addressing real needs, such as those of parents seeking appropriate care for their children.

Whether it’s the Bill of Rights or the anti-trans article, I cannot emphasize enough that we, as the opposition led by Leader Naheed Nenshi, have consistently spoken to Albertans throughout all summer long and none of these things are in the top 50 issues. that Albertans have.

We’re facing an affordability crisis, a health care crisis, and nurses just rejected the deal. So we are concerned about future labor measures, public safety, these are areas that Albertans want action on and yet this premier is making purely self-serving choices ahead of her leadership review this weekend .

MH: There is a unique dynamic within your party right now. Naheed Nenshi, your party leader, sits on the podium while you assume the role of leader of the official opposition in the Assembly. How do you make this work?

CG: I’m really excited to work with Naheed as a leader now. He attends our caucus meetings and we work very, very closely, but until he gets a seat in the Legislature, he has asked me to act as leader of the Legislature .

I am very honored to be asked to play this role, and I will ask some of those first questions in question period and work with the largest official opposition in Alberta history to represent what the Albertans tell us they want it.

Issues like health care and housing, public safety, education, where we are the least funded per student in all of Canada. All these important questions thanks to his advice from the gallery, sometimes perhaps from other places. We are really happy to work with him.

MH: But will there come a time, in the short term, when this needs to change? That it is likely that a member of your caucus will have to step down and make way for a by-election in which Naheed Nenshi can run?

CG: Naheed has been clear: When the time and opportunity presents itself, he will run for this seat in the Legislative Assembly, but he is in no rush.

We have seen leaders of political parties without a seat in the Legislative Assembly in the past. In fact, I believe Danielle Smith was Leader of the Wild Rose Opposition for over two years without a seat in the Legislative Assembly.

So right now we’re focused on representing Albertans in the legislature, particularly with this very self-serving agenda that preys on vulnerable children, that doesn’t respect what Albertans are looking for. That’s certainly our goal.

I look forward to Naheed joining us on the field when that opportunity presents itself, but right now, the work that we do, we’re able to do very well under his leadership.

MH: What does the NDP expect from the outcome of the UCP AGM in Red Deer? Are these policies that will be subject to leadership debate or review?

CG: It’s interesting to see what’s happening because my colleague, Deputy Leader Rakhi Pancholi, said it best when she called Danielle Smith the premier of a party and not a province.

All she did was try to win that leadership vote. I’m curious to see what kind of numbers come out of this.

I think on the other hand, we know that Naheed Nenshi, in a very competitive leadership race, got 86 percent of the support of the members of the largest political party in Canada, because its membership increased significantly.

I don’t think Danielle Smith will be able to match that. We will see if she is able to retain leadership of this very conflicting group. She is certainly addressing the far-right wings in the hope of being able to remain leader.

In the meantime, I think Albertans need a government that respects human rights, respects dignity and highlights the issues they care about, which is not the case right now.

I hope that because of our leadership we can move closer to something resembling sensible, rational government in this province.

Premier Smith received 91 per cent support in the leadership review.