December 12, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Alberta’s fall legislature sitting wrapped up this week under intense political conflict, as debates over rights, democracy, and the government’s use of the Charter’s notwithstanding clause overshadowed the passage of 14 government bills.
Government House Leader Joseph Schow described the session as productive and protective, saying the government worked to defend Albertans, safeguard children, and improve healthcare and education.
But NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi painted a starkly different picture, calling the sitting “deeply troubling” and accusing the government of spending weeks “attacking children, attacking workers and shutting down democratic debate.”
At the centre of the controversy was Bill 9, which restricts gender-affirming healthcare for minors, tightens parental-notification requirements for name and pronoun changes in schools, and bans transgender girls from amateur sports. The government invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield the bill from court challenges.
“We unapologetically defended Alberta’s children,” Schow said, accusing the NDP of being “on the wrong side of history” for opposing the legislation. “We are protecting children from making life-altering, irreversible changes and protecting women and girls in sport.”
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