Transgender advocate raises concern over Manitoba Tories' approval of leadership candidate Wally Daudrich

An advocate for transgender people says they're concerned Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party approved a leadership candidate who once described U.S. assistant health secretary Rachel Levine, a trans woman, as a "man dressed in woman's clothing."

More than three years ago, Churchill hotel and ecotourism company owner Wally Daudrich posted a Facebook comment about Levine, who is also an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and became the first transgender U.S. official to receive Senate confirmation for a senior government position.

"I feel very sorry for this man dressed in woman's clothing," said Daudrich in a post dated March 21, 2021. "He has been duped by our shallow decadent pop culture. We are experiencing a moral free fall."

Daudrich is one of two candidates running to become the leader of Manitoba's Official Opposition. Progressive Conservative Party members will decide between Daudrich or Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan next spring.

CBC News was made aware of the Facebook comment about Levine after a Khan supporter forwarded a package of old social media posts made by Daudrich.

Daudrich confirmed he posted the comment in 2021 but said he is in no way opposed to transgender rights. 

"We all have and should enjoy equal rights, whether a person claims to be transgender or bisexual or whatever," Daudrich said in an interview.

Charlie Eau, the executive director of the advocacy organization Trans Manitoba, said they are disappointed but not surprised Daudrich was greenlighted as a PC leadership candidate following vetting by the party's leadership selection committee. That vetting included a social media scan conducted by a contractor.

"It's scary and harmful towards trans and gender non-conforming folks that this person has the potential to take a position of leadership," Eau said Thursday in an interview.

"This comment toward Admiral Rachel Levine, who is also a medical doctor, is not only hurtful, it is harmful. It's dehumanizing and it's untrue in every way. The woman pictured is a woman, she is a trans woman, and trans folks have always existed."

Brad Zander, the chair of the PC leadership selection committee, said the party's approval of any candidate does not equal an endorsement of any past statements or policy positions.

Zander said he will not comment on any specific post made by either candidate or the results of the party-procured social media scans of those comments.

'I'm a transparent person': Daudrich

During an interview with the leadership selection committee, Daudrich was apologetic about his past social media activity, Zander said.

"Those posts, obviously I made them several years ago," Daudrich said Thursday. "I let them remain because I'm a transparent person."

Daudrich, who has described himself as "the only conservative in this race," said he does not believe his views are out of line with the Progressive Conservative Party.

When asked about his 2021 suggestion that transgender people have been duped, he pointed to a debate about the efficacy of seatbelts in the 1970s.

"Seatbelts, it's an important issue, but we spent several years discussing it as a society. We have situations or societal questions that are being decided without proper consultation with people," Daudrich said.

"I would add that there's an attempt to silence people on these issues. And I'm a big believer in free speech, that these issues should be completely vetted in public before there's any policy change, publicly."

Khan declined to comment on Daudrich's 2021 Facebook post.

Eau said they also do not support Khan, given that the Fort Whyte MLA served as a the face of a PC "parental rights" promise during the 2023 provincial election campaign.

While the Progressive Conservatives did not flesh out at that point what they meant by parental rights, then Liberal leader Dougald Lamont accused the PCs of using language that served as a dogwhistle for people opposed to trans rights.

"Khan also upholds a transphobic perspective and ran his most recent campaign on parents rights, which is a transphobic platform that challenges the autonomy and safety of trans children and families," said Eau. "That is already causing serious harm."

Khan said in a statement his intention during the 2023 campaign involved protecting children from abuse, because provincial legislation governing parental rights is now 30 years old.

"My views on the importance of parental rights have not changed. I continue to believe that parents have the right to be involved in the lives of their children at school," he said. 

"This has always been about protecting all children and never exposing any to harm."

Eau remains concerned about the prospect Khan or Daudrich could occupy a position of power. 

"We can't have folks whose thoughts and actions are formed by misinformation, rather than the lived experience of trans folks, making decisions for people who will be made vulnerable by legislation informed by transphobia," Eau said.

Khan and Daudrich have until Feb. 28 to sign up new PC members, who will be able to vote in the leadership race. The party will announce its new leader at a convention on April 26.