Alberta’s rules on opposite-sex hormones for minors under Ministerial Order 31/2025 took effect on 7 January 2026. This is Alberta only, not a Canada-wide ban.
Hormones (from 7 January 2026). Alberta states that regulated health professionals are prohibited from prescribing opposite-sex hormones to minors to treat gender dysphoria or gender incongruence, with exceptions set out in the order: (1) minors who have already commenced those opposite-sex hormones; (2) ages 16 and 17 with parental or legal-guardian, physician, and psychologist approval; and (3) a disorder of sex development (DSD), regardless of a coexisting dysphoria or incongruence diagnosis. New starts under 16 for this indication are therefore prohibited.
Surgery. Alberta’s prohibition on sex-reassignment surgeries for minors has been in force since December 2024. The hormone rules took effect later, on 7 January 2026.
These are provincial rules. Other Canadian provinces are not covered by this order. Bill 9 (Royal Assent 11 December 2025) is a separate notwithstanding shield for named statutes, including the under-16 hormone and under-18 surgery provisions of the *Health Professions Act*.
Official sources
- Explainer: alberta.ca/supporting-minors-to-make-informed-decisions
- Ministerial Order 31/2025 (open.alberta.ca): PPHS 31/2025