(LifeSiteNews) – A bill before the provincial legislature of Manitoba regarding the use of non-biological “preferred pronouns” is facing some scrutiny from the new leader of the province’s Conservative party.
Obby Khan, who was elected as Progressive Conservative (PC) leader on April 26, backs a bill that would consider one’s refusal to acknowledge a person’s request to be referred to by a non-biological pronoun a violation of the law. But he noted that he has concerns about the wording that he wants tightened up.
He recently told reporters that he has heard from people who are scared that the bill, should it become law, would have serious consequences for those who so-called “misgender” a person.
Bill 43, known as the Human Rights Code Amendment Act, was introduced by the ruling New Democratic Party Justice Minister Matt Wiebe in March.
The new law, if passed, adds “gender expression” as a protected category under the province’s Human Rights Code.
Khan asked Wiebe if the bill would lay out clear thresholds for when a person could make a complaint against another, asking him, “Human rights matter to everyone, but we need to know where the line is.”
In reply, Wiebe claimed that as most provinces already “protect gender expression,” he could not comment on what the threshold would be.
The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives were not looking at any changes to the bill until they elected Khan, who has said his MLAs will get a free vote on the bill, as it’s “a matter of conscience.”
According to Wiebe, the law would “cover anything from behavior or appearance, such as dress, hair, makeup, body language and voice.”
Wiebe also said the law would extend to kids, effectively mandating that their “preferred pronouns” be protected under the law. This would mean that it would be considered discriminatory under the law to refer to a boy as “he” if he were to desire to be called “she.”
While Manitoba opted to vote in the far-left NDP in its last election, nearby provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan have put in place laws that explicitly deal with gender ideology-based pronoun use, requiring schools to inform parents if a child makes such a request.
The latest move is in line with previous actions taken by Premier Wab Kinew and his NDP government, who since taking office have passed multiple anti-life and anti-family laws, including the prohibiting of pro-life activism outside of abortion mills and the official recognition of radical gender ideology.
