section_path: Political positions/Social issues
section_name: Social issues
paragraph_text: Social issues
  
  Poilievre supports abortion rights and access to abortion in Canada. He stated that a government led by him would not introduce and would not pass any legislation restricting access to abortion, though he would allow his caucus to have free votes on legislation. In 2010, he supported a bill that would have criminalized pressuring a person to get an abortion and a motion where Parliament would have studied when a fetus should be considered a human. In 2020, he changed his position and said that a government led by him would never introduce a bill on the topic, and no private ones would be adopted. In 2021, Poilievre opposed a private member bill prohibiting sex-selective abortion.
  
  Poilievre supports same-sex marriage after previously opposing it; in a 2020 interview, he called it a "success" and stated: "I voted against it 15 years ago. But I learned a lot." In 2005, he gave a speech opposing same-sex marriage while favouring civil unions as an alternative and voted in favour on the motion to introduce legislation to reinstate an opposite-sex only definition of marriage in 2006. He had also requested Finance Minister Jim Flaherty withhold money spent on sex reassignment surgery from Canada Health Transfer payments. In 2021, Poilievre voted in favour of banning conversion therapy in a free vote.
  
  In September 2023, Poilievre accused Trudeau of "demonizing concerned parents" after the prime minister released a statement in support of LGBTQ+ Canadians on Twitter in response to anti-gender movement protests. Poilievre's comments were condemned from the executive director of LGBTQ+ advocacy group Egale Canada. In February 2024, when asked by reporters for his views on Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith 's transgender legislation and if he was against minors under 18 using puberty blockers to support medical gender transition, Poilievre affirmed his support for the decision. In response to reporters asking if he believes transgender women should be allowed in women's change rooms and washrooms, Poilievre stated that "Female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males"; however, he also stated that federal jurisdiction would not have the reach to legislate on the matter. In January 2025, when asked if he agreed with Donald Trump's executive order which stated that the United States federal government will only recognize two genders, male and female, Poilievre said that he was only aware of two genders, but added that "we should have a government that just minds its own damn business and leaves people alone to make their own personal decisions. That's the kind of government I'm going to run." Several Canadian LGBT rights organizations denounced Poilievre's comments for denying the existence of transgender people. Poilievre has decried " woke culture".
  
  Poilievre supports maintaining the legalization of soft drugs such as marijuana, while he opposes the decriminalization of " hard drugs ", stating: "We're not talking about marijuana here, we're talking about highly lethal drugs that can stop a person's heart." This is after previously voting against the legalization of marijuana in 2017. He advocated for more treatment and recovery for those suffering from addictions which are "deadly" and that drug dealers should be facing "strong policing & tough sentences". Poilievre plans to fund treatment and recovery for addicts by suing the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic.
  
  Poilievre supports abortion rights and access to abortion in Canada. He stated that a government led by him would not introduce and would not pass any legislation restricting access to abortion, though he would allow his caucus to have free votes on legislation. In 2010, he supported a bill that would have criminalized pressuring a person to get an abortion and a motion where Parliament would have studied when a fetus should be considered a human. In 2020, he changed his position and said that a government led by him would never introduce a bill on the topic, and no private ones would be adopted. In 2021, Poilievre opposed a private member bill prohibiting sex-selective abortion.
  
  Poilievre supports same-sex marriage after previously opposing it; in a 2020 interview, he called it a "success" and stated: "I voted against it 15 years ago. But I learned a lot." In 2005, he gave a speech opposing same-sex marriage while favouring civil unions as an alternative and voted in favour on the motion to introduce legislation to reinstate an opposite-sex only definition of marriage in 2006. He had also requested Finance Minister Jim Flaherty withhold money spent on sex reassignment surgery from Canada Health Transfer payments. In 2021, Poilievre voted in favour of banning conversion therapy in a free vote.
  
  In September 2023, Poilievre accused Trudeau of "demonizing concerned parents" after the prime minister released a statement in support of LGBTQ+ Canadians on Twitter in response to anti-gender movement protests. Poilievre's comments were condemned from the executive director of LGBTQ+ advocacy group Egale Canada. In February 2024, when asked by reporters for his views on Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith 's transgender legislation and if he was against minors under 18 using puberty blockers to support medical gender transition, Poilievre affirmed his support for the decision. In response to reporters asking if he believes transgender women should be allowed in women's change rooms and washrooms, Poilievre stated that "Female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males"; however, he also stated that federal jurisdiction would not have the reach to legislate on the matter. In January 2025, when asked if he agreed with Donald Trump's executive order which stated that the United States federal government will only recognize two genders, male and female, Poilievre said that he was only aware of two genders, but added that "we should have a government that just minds its own damn business and leaves people alone to make their own personal decisions. That's the kind of government I'm going to run." Several Canadian LGBT rights organizations denounced Poilievre's comments for denying the existence of transgender people. Poilievre has decried " woke culture".
  
  Poilievre supports maintaining the legalization of soft drugs such as marijuana, while he opposes the decriminalization of " hard drugs ", stating: "We're not talking about marijuana here, we're talking about highly lethal drugs that can stop a person's heart." This is after previously voting against the legalization of marijuana in 2017. He advocated for more treatment and recovery for those suffering from addictions which are "deadly" and that drug dealers should be facing "strong policing & tough sentences". Poilievre plans to fund treatment and recovery for addicts by suing the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic.