Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Member's comments. The Member has indicated that this particular area is something that was intended and will be addressed in the regulations. Originally, we are proposing regulations with respect to sex designation which was consistent with the majority of provinces and territories and the Northwest Territories. Specifically, that a statutory declaration that an individual lives full-time in the gender they want to change to, and that this is not the gender currently listed on their birth certificate, a statutory declaration from a doctor, a nurse practitioner, a psychologist or a social worker, that the person lives their desired gender full-time and it is not the gender on their birth certificate, consent of a legal guardian if the person changing their designation is a minor, payment of a fee, and obviously the return of the previous certificate.

During the public hearing, I made a commitment to do some additional research to determine why those are the regulations that we are proposing, and we have done some additional analysis. What we can say is the requirement for declaration of the health care professional is historical; it's something that exists in most provinces and territories. But this is a rapidly changing time. Every jurisdiction is working on what is the rationale for requirements for change of sex designation. Quebec, as an example, has taken out the requirement to have a doctor, physician, social worker, or other practitioner provide the statutory declaration. Instead, Quebec does ask that a declaration of a health care provider is necessary in cases of adults that have already previously changed their sex designation, and this is to preserve the integrity of changes made to the foundational identity document.

So in light of the argument that the Member has presented and the fantastic presentation provided during the public hearing, I have directed the Department of Health and Social Services to remove the requirement for adults to require a doctor, psychologist, social worker, or other practitioner to sign the statutory declaration indicating that this is the gender that the person lives in. So that will not be in the regulations.

I have not made the same direction for minors at this point. For minors, we need to make sure that we explore all the safeguards. I'm not saying that we won't make that direction, but I am certainly asking for more time to make sure that youth and minors are protected and safeguards are there to ensure their safety. We already require their guardian to provide, but I'm asking more time and I'm going to take more time to make sure that all those safeguards are in place. So what you will see in our regulations is no requirement for a doctor unless a person is going back to change their designation a second or third time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.