Alberta MLA who compared transgender children to feces in food welcomed into UCP caucus

United Conservative Party MLAs have voted in favour of allowing Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson into the caucus.

Johnson addressed the governing party's MLAs prior to Wednesday's internal caucus vote, the UCP caucus said in a news release. 

The release said Johnson highlighted "the work she has done in her community and the personal growth and understanding she has gained through her engagement with the LGBTQ+ community."

Johnson has been an independent in the Alberta legislature since she was sworn into office last year. 

Premier Danielle Smith refused to let her sit as a UCP MLA after an audio clip surfaced during the election campaign in which Johnson compared transgender students to feces in a batch of cookies.

"That little bit of poop is what wrecks it," Johnson was heard saying on the tape. She apologized for her remarks, which she repeated in a video posted online Wednesday.

Advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ people have expressed dismay that the UCP caucus was considering welcoming Johnson.

Last month, a video surfaced showing a portion of Johnson's Zoom meeting with representatives from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Johnson wouldn't answer a question about whether she believed trans women were women.

The 1905 Committee, a group pushing Smith to honour the promises she made during last year's election, said in an email late Wednesday afternoon that they "successfully forced" Smith to bring Johnson into the UCP caucus. 

In September, members of Johnson's constituency association asked UCP MLAs to allow her to join their caucus.

CBC has reached out to the constituency association for comment on Wednesday's decision.

'Excellent representative,' premier says

Smith is facing a vote on her leadership at the UCP's annual general meeting on Nov. 2.

In a written statement sent to CBC News, Smith called Johnson an "excellent representative" for Lacombe-Ponoka who has worked to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community. 

"While MLA Johnson was met with varying levels of acceptance and participation at these meetings, she expressed to the caucus her growth and learning from these meetings," Smith said.

Advocates were not impressed by Wednesday's decision.

Victoria Bucholtz, a professor at Mount Royal University and organizer with several 2SLGBTQ+ groups, was in the Zoom meeting with Johnson. 

Bucholtz said the willingness of the UCP caucus to bring Johnson into the fold is disappointing yet unsurprising. She said Smith is using transgender people in order to survive her leadership review at the beginning of November. 

Bucholtz isn't convinced Johnson was genuinely interested in learning about the trans and queer communities.

"She was there to check boxes, to do what she needed to do, to show to people who don't really care to dig into what's going on that she's, quote, done the work. Well, she hasn't," she said.

"She nodded wisely and smiled and talked to us about agreeing to disagree on our basic principles and human rights. And that's not something that you can disagree on."

Like Bucholtz, Jonathan Luscombe, founder of the Lacombe Pride Society, wasn't surprised but very disappointed.

Luscombe noted in an email to CBC News that allowing Johnson into the caucus comes weeks before the UCP plans to introduce legislation governing that would place limits on gender-affirming procedures and therapies for youth.

As described by Smith, the proposed legislation would require schools to get permission from parents if a student wants to use a different name or pronoun at school.

'I'm heartbroken,' says advocate

"Danielle Smith is a reminder that no conservative politician will ever look at us as people, only as a tool to gain political points. They do not care about our well-being, our journeys, or about us as people, and it shows with this decision today," Luscombe wrote. 

"I'm heartbroken for the people in my community that 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 I wish no one has to feel."

"I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me," said Rowan Morris, the founder of advocacy group Trans Rights YEG.

Morris noted that Johnson will join her legislature colleagues in debating bills about the rights of transgender people in Alberta. 

"There is somebody who thinks my community is human waste that is going to be contributing valuably to the discussion on my rights."

But one UCP member supports Johnson's inclusion into the UCP caucus. 

Dusty Myshrall ran for the Lacombe-Ponoka UCP nomination against Johnson. He said the constituency needs to have a representative from the governing party. 

Myshrall said Johnson has done the work to reach out to the transgender community. 

"We can all have disagreements, but we need to be able to start having an open conversation," he said. "If you want to change the minds of people, you got to be able to engage in conversations, even though those are tough conversations. And I felt that she handled herself well."

Johnson garnered about 9,300 more votes than the NDP candidate when she won her seat last year, after the comments surfaced during the election campaign. At the time, Smith said Johnson would not sit in the UCP caucus because of the "vile" remarks, but also said she believes in redemption and second chances.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called the caucus decision a "gut-punch" to all trans youth, their families and allies. 

"Allowing Johnson to join the UCP caucus is yet again proving that the Danielle Smith who ran for premier is not the same Danielle Smith who is the premier," Nenshi said in a written statement. 

"Johnson's apology lacked true remorse and we don't fully know who in the community she met with or whether they accepted that her views have actually changed."