Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the United States skate their routine in the Ice Dance competition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2025 Skate Canada International at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, on Nov. 2, 2025. Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
Skate Canada says it will not host any national or international-level events in Alberta due to the province’s law banning transgender athletes from female-only sports.
The law was one of three that Premier Danielle Smith’s government introduced in 2024. It restricts women’s sports to biological females by mandating that amateur sports organizations implement eligibility policies.
“Following a careful assessment of Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, Skate Canada has determined that we are unable to host events in the province while maintaining our national standards for safe and inclusive sport,” the organization said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.
The organization said it would “continue to monitor” legislative developments in Alberta and would “reassess hosting opportunities as circumstances evolve.”
Skate Canada said the decision only applies to events, and will not impact Alberta athletes participating in programming and competitions.
Alberta’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, Andrew Boitchenko, said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times that the organization’s decision was disappointing, saying that Alberta’s policies protect women and girls, and ensure that female athletic competitions are “fair and safe.”
He said that no athletes “should have an unfair advantage” and that no athletes should have to put themselves “at risk of harm to participate in the sports they love.”
“By choosing to forgo events in Alberta’s world-class venues, Skate Canada is denying their female athletes opportunities to compete on a safe and level playing field,” he said.
Smith called the move “disgraceful,” saying that women and girls have a right to play competitive sports in a “safe and fair environment against other biological females.”
She said it was a view held by a vast majority of Albertans and Canadians, adding it was “common sense.”
“We expect they will apologize and adjust their policies once they realize they are not only compromising the fairness and safety of their athletes, but are also offside with the international community, including the International Olympic Committee, which is moving in the same direction as Alberta,” the premier said in a Dec. 16 statement posted on social media.
Skate Canada has no events scheduled in Alberta, and hosted the Skate Canada Challenge in Calgary from Nov. 27–30. The city also hosted the 2024 national championships.
Notwithstanding Clause
The Alberta government passed legislation on Dec. 10 that invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield the three laws from legal challenges, called the Protecting Alberta’s Children Statues Amendment Act.
The notwithstanding clause, Section 33 of the Charter of Rights, allows governments to override certain provisions of the Charter for five years when passing legislation.
The provincial government described the clause as a tool to balance power between the courts and elected officials, saying it was necessary to protect children, and maintain fairness in sports.
NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley said the government’s move was “offensive to the rule of law and to our entire democracy.” She also noted that Smith’s government has invoked the notwithstanding clause four times during the fall sitting, a clause that Ganley said was to be used “only in exceptional circumstances.”
The province said the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act is needed to ensure that athletes can compete fairly and safely.
Carolina Avendano and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.