Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson, who previously compared transgender children in school to feces in cookie dough, has been welcomed back into Alberta's United Conservative Party caucus.
Johnson was invited back into caucus after an internal vote, the UCP said in a media release on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Johnson was initially expelled from the UCP caucus in 2023, after the offensive remarks she made in 2022 surfaced.
Five days after Johnson's comments surfaced, Premier Danielle Smith said she would not sit in caucus. She softened on that stance as the months went on, telling supporters at a Red Deer town hall on Aug. 29 that Johnson could be readmitted this fall after policies requiring parental consent for pronoun changes in schools and banning transgender athletes from female sports are passed.
Despite her exclusion from the UCP caucus, Johnson was elected as an independent MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka last May, winning 67.5 percent of the vote.
"Prior to being elected, I used an inappropriate analogy while discussing education policy surrounding trans youth and for that I sincerely apologize," Johnson said in a video posted to social media this week.
"I want all children working through gender-identity issues to know that you are cared for, valued and respected. In the last year and a half I've had the opportunity to meet with numerous individuals and organizations from the LGBTQ+ community that are from my constituency and even across the province and the country.
"While not every conversation was easy, I listened and heard from diverse perspectives and I'm grateful for the chance I've had to grow from this experience and meet some really beautiful people along the way."
Johnson noted she was "truly appreciative" to be a part of the UCP caucus.
Chief Government Whip Shane Getson said Johnson "has done a very good job" as a local MLA over the past 17 months.
“After having a very thoughtful discussion with our caucus team, our MLAs voted to acknowledge her hard work, recognize her efforts, and welcome her into the government caucus,” Getson said.
Both the UCP Red Deer-South Constituency Association and the UCP constituency association in Lacombe-Ponoka had made calls for Johnson to be reinstated in a letter over the past year.
The Lacombe Pride Society, a group that Johnson met with in September, said it stands "firmly against" the UCP welcoming her into its caucus.
"She could not prove that her views had changed, denied acknowledging the lived experiences of transgender individuals and had no proof that she had done any form of work on understanding the harm she did to the community and how spreading disinformation can cause harm towards very vulnerable people. To say we are disappointed is an understatement," a post on the Lacombe Pride Society's Facebook page states.
"This is a direct slap in the face to every 2SLGBTQIA+ individual in her constituency and proves once, and for all that, the end goal was never to rectify the harm but was ultimately to win back her seat in the caucus."
The post goes on to state Johnson will be contributing to the UCP's "anti-trans legislation targeting the most vulnerable part of our community."
"Taking away the rights of transgender youth has been proven to increase the mental health risks brought forward with this type of legislation," the post states.
"If they cared about transgender people and youth they wouldn't let someone who has called our family members "feces" help make the final decisions on a bill that will take away the rights of our communities' children In the end, we have always known that this legislation was never about protecting but has always been about political points among her extreme supporters."
"The UCP does not care about our well-being, our journeys, or about us as people, and it shows with this decision. We are heartbroken for the people in our community who are going to look into that legislator and see someone who has attacked them, made them feel like garbage, represent and make decisions for them. It's a feeling we wish no one has to feel."
— With files from The Canadian Press
