Conservative platform pledges ban on trans women in women’s prisons

ANALYSIS: The Conservative Party of Canada’s 2025 federal election platform also hints at possible future anti-trans policies

The Conservative Party of Canada released their full costed platform today for the 2025 election, and it includes a ban on trans women from federal women’s prisons in Canada. 

Under the platform’s section regarding public safety, the Conservatives pledge to “Defend women’s safety by repealing Commissioner’s Directive 100, and ensure that women’s spaces and services remain protected in federal institutions and policy.”

Commissioner’s Directive 100 is a policy that was released by Canada’s Correctional Service in 2022, and designed to preserve the human rights of incarcerated trans and gender-diverse people in Canada. It called for training around gender identity for correctional service staff, as well as ensuring that incarcerated people are held in facilities that align with their gender identity. 

The directive’s purpose is stated as aiming to meet the needs of Canada’s prison system’s “gender diverse offender population in ways that respect their human rights and ensure their safety and dignity.”

Senior editor Mel Woods breaks down what this pledge could mean for future anti-trans policy at the federal level.

With the 2025 Canadian federal election underway, Xtra is bringing back our weekly pop-up election newsletter, Rainbow VotesSubscribe now for free exclusive reporting, analysis and opinion in your inbox every Thursday.

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

Keep Reading

Two photos from the Toronto bathhouse riots of 1971

The bleak history of the Toronto bathhouse raids

In 1981, Toronto police arrested nearly 300 gay men as part of a six-month undercover operation called “Operation Soap”
Two pride stamps from Canada Post highlighting The Turret nightclub and the 519 community center.

Canada Post just debuted four new stamps honouring queer historic sites

Places of Pride features four new postage stamps commemorating places and events that are pivotal to the country's queer history
NYU Langone Health

Trans youth sue to block Trump admin’s access to private health records

NYU Langone Health was subpoenaed last month for information about minors who received gender-affirming care from 2020 to 2026
Drag queen Pattie Gonia and the outdoor apparel brand Patagonia

Patagonia v. Pattie Gonia: What the heck is going on?

Patagonia alleges that Pattie Gonia’s commercial use of a “near-copy” name poses “long-term threats” to their brand
Advertisement