Bill 9 and the Fairness and Safety in Sport Policy: What This Means for UCalgary Students
You may have seen headlines lately around the Government of Alberta’s recent introduction of Bill 9 and its use of the notwithstanding clause. This clause protects legislation that may violate Albertans’ Charter rights from being invalidated by Alberta’s courts. Laws that Bill 9 would protect include the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act and its associated Regulation, which came into force September 1, 2025.
These rules compelled certain organizations—including post-secondaries—to introduce eligibility rules on who can compete in women's sporting leagues. In order to compete, athletes must confirm in writing that their sex was recorded as female on their birth registration document (or get their parents to write in if they are aged 12-18). A birth registration document is not the same thing as a birth certificate: registrations are completed at the time of a person's birth and cannot be changed, unlike a certificate. Learn more about these documents here.
On the day the Act came into force, so did the University of Calgary’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Policy (FFSP). The university consulted the Students' Union (SU) and Graduate Students' Association (GSA) for feedback on a draft version, and while we’re pleased to share that the university adopted some of our amendments (incorporating stronger protections for all students), it did not adopt all of them.
We’re bringing you this post to help you understand what the policy means, what it does, and what you can do if you need help navigating the policy. We will also help you identify where you can find appropriate sources of support.
Statement by the SU and GSA: The Policy, Fairness, and Safety
The stated aim of the FSSP is to enhance fairness and safety in women's sports. The SU and GSA, as the representatives of students from every background and demographic, have not seen evidence to suggest that exclusionary policies achieve this aim. Rather, there is evidence to suggest they achieve the opposite.
Trans-exclusionary policies don’t make sports fairer or safer for athletes recorded female at birth. Fewer women and girls participate in sports at all when trans-exclusionary guidelines are introduced, and guidelines that rely upon gender stereotypes discourage women and girls from playing. Trans-exclusionary policies can be abused by sore losers, or expose women who do not conform to stereotypical gender norms to harassment. As one peer-reviewed review identified, the most significant barriers to women and girls' participation in sports include insufficient funding and a lack of institutional support. These policies also introduce an additional barrier to participation for female athletes that male athletes do not face.
Trans-exclusionary policies don’t make sports fairer or safer for gender-diverse students. Trans and gender-diverse Canadians are more likely to experience violence or harassment, while also being likelier to experience poverty, homelessness and increased mental health challenges compared to cisgender individuals. Transphobia and systemic discrimination is the root cause of these barriers and negative impacts. Community-led supports including gender-affirming care and inclusive housing are among the supports that contribute to improved outcomes, highlighting the need to challenge systemic barriers so gender-diverse people receive adequate support.
The SU and GSA therefore condemn this Policy on the basis that there is ample evidence it will harm students of all backgrounds. To students who may be worried or impacted by the policy: remember that you are a member of our campus community. No policy can change that. There is a space for you, and we're glad you're here. We urge any students who need support to take advantage of the SU, GSA and campus services listed below, or to contact your elected student representatives for further assistance (see your SU Executives if you are an undergraduate, or your GSA executives if you are a graduate student). These services and resources are available for a reason, so please don't hesitate to use them.
We also encourage students with any questions or concerns that this post has not addressed to contact their students' association to set up a meeting. Your student leaders stand ready to help you.
What does the Policy mean in practice?
Students hoping to participate in Dinos Women's Varsity Sports and/or Competitive Club Sports must attest in writing that their birth registration record states they were recorded female at birth. Athletes can later be challenged by certain classes of people who believe they do not satisfy the FSSP's criteria. This is effectively an accusation that the athlete's attestation wasn't true. An athlete who faces a challenge may be asked by the University to provide their birth registration document, in a process outlined by the below map:
The FSSP does not apply to any SU or GSA sporting events or clubs. Students of all demographics can compete in these events.
