Montrealers braved the winter weather a day after Christmas and gathered at Norman Bethune Square for a march in solidarity of trans rights.
This comes after the Quebec government introduced Bill 2 – a law overhauling doctor compensation, that has sparked controversy since its introduction in late October, as clinics face potential closures in the coming year as a result.
“Trans people are people. We’re people like other people and we need help and support from the government, and we need health care,” said Vanessa Durand, one of the protestors at the march.
With Bill 2 tightening the noose on essential funding – roughly 40 clinics across Quebec face closures if nothing changes before the bill takes effect on Feb. 28, 2026.
Celeste Trianon, who has organized the ‘Trans March’ for four years now, addressing the crowd of attendees who came to Norman Bethune Square on Friday Dec. 26, 2025. (Corinne Boyer, CityNews)
Organizer Celeste Trianon said Bill 2 threatens health care which is a source of stability of people – trans or otherwise.
“It’s broadly speaking panic,” Trianon said. “Panic over uncertainty — people not knowing whether they’re going to have access to the same medication, the same healthcare treatments, etc. that they’ve been getting sometimes for years.”
Experts say that LGBTQ+ communities are being hit particularly hard by the new bill.
Clinique l’Agora – one of the clinics that caters to sexual health and vulnerable patients – announced last month that it will fail to meet its financial requirements as of April 2026, forcing it to close indefinitely.
“In just one week, there’s a likelihood that various clinics in Quebec, including Prelev, which tests over 100,000 people per year for STIs or L’Agora, which treats 6,000 patients in primary care, including many trans patients — all these clinics, they’re closing imminently,” Trianon explained.
Protestors marched 3 kilometres along Sainte-Catherine Street until Berri Street – ending in front of Clinique l’Agora as a symbol and reminder of the stakes when Bill 2 comes into effect next year.
Montrealers marching along Guy Street, as they make their way to their ultimate destination, Clinique l’Agora, on Berri Street in downtown Montreal. (Corinne Boyer, CityNews)
“For so many (Clinique l’Agora) is a place of hope. It is a place where people finally could see a future for themselves,” Trianon said.
Durand called on people to demand the government to restore services cut by the government.
“We need solidarity, and we need to get together to go against the government. Because if we’re not crying out loud about the problems that we have, we’re not getting anything,” Durand said.
