news Alberta government facing human rights complaint over sex change funding

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Alberta government facing human rights complaint over sex change funding


2 hours, 6 minutes ago





By The Canadian Press

EDMONTON - The Alberta government is facing a challenge over its decision to stop paying for sex-change operations.
Several members of the transsexual community plan to file a complaint Wednesday with the province's human rights commission. The government announced in last week's budget that it would no longer pay for sex changes, but now Health Minister Ron Liepert says roughly four dozen of the operations will still be covered.
He told the legislature funding will be given to 26 people who were already approved for the surgery, plus another 20 who were waiting for approval.
Several sex-change candidates said outside the assembly that the operation is unaffordable without government help.
The opposition parties say a similar funding cut in Ontario was overturned by the province's human rights commission.