Transgender health researcher, LGBTQ2 advocate, and author Trevor Kirczenow, formerly a professional violinist, is representing the Liberal Party of Canada in Provencher.
Kirczenow, one of the first openly transgender candidates in Canadian history to run for a major party in a federal election, operates a farm near Dugald, Manitoba with his husband and two children.
He says that in Provencher “many people have felt marginalized and shut out” of political discussions.
“I felt that not all voices were being represented,” Kirczenow says. “I have experience in bringing diverse communities together and would welcome the opportunity to serve all Provencher residents.”
Originally from British Columbia, Kirczenow performed as a violinist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra while attending the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science. After graduating, he went on to perform for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, retiring upon the birth of his first child. His biography, titled Where’s the Mother? Stories from a Transgender Dad, was published in 2016 and was covered by The New York Times and The Toronto Star.
Kirczenow also volunteers for La Leche League, a breastfeeding support organization. In 2014, he formed a University of Ottawa-based research team to examine the experiences of transgender parents with pregnancy, birth, and infant feeding. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and led to the first published, peer-reviewed medical research about transmasculine infant chest-feeding.
The Liberal Party has announced that, if re-elected by Canadians, they will make significant investments in healthcare, including what Justin Trudeau has called a “down payment” towards a national pharmacare program. While the party has yet to announce specific details regarding the program, Kirczenow shared his thoughts regarding the proposal.
“Canadians have talked about national pharmacare for many years, and now is the time voters can make it happen,” he says. “The Parliamentary Budget Officer, who determines the cost of proposed legislation, conservatively estimated the annual savings potential of a national pharmacare plan at $4.2 billion. Other studies suggest much higher savings. A national pharmacare program would be both compassionate and fiscally conservative, but Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer is opposed to it. The Liberals, NDP, and Green all support it.”
The Liberal Party would also commit Canada to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as pledged at the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, and would phase out the use of coal power by 2030.
“We aim to introduce tax-free home retrofit loans to help lower everyone’s carbon footprint and save money on home heating,” says Kirczenow. “We also need compassionate, science-based policies to support our farmers who are facing climate extremes that increase risks to crops, hay, and livestock. Environmental protections must be strengthened along with economic growth.”
He adds that people around the country, and in Provencher specifically, are concerned about the rising cost of living. The Liberals have generally focused on affordability during the election campaign, promising to cut middle-class taxes and lower cell phone bills while committing greater funding to families, building accessible childcare spaces, and promoting start-up businesses.
“I hope to be a responsive Member of Parliament for all the many communities in our diverse riding,” Kirczenow says. “Growing infrastructure, such as high-speed internet, is one key to sustaining our rural way of life by extending economic opportunities. I also want to ensure we do not go back to muzzling scientists as was the policy under Harper. Our farmers need the best climate research to ensure they can understand and address the significant changes they are seeing already.”
