# Saddle Lake Cree Nation gender-affirming care dispute

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/saddle-lake-cree-nation-gender-affirming-care-dispute
> Updated: 2026-09-11T16:08:29.000Z. Sources: 43. Developments: 2.

The Saddle Lake Cree Nation has announced plans to establish its reserve lands as a safe haven for gender-affirming medical care, directly challenging Alberta provincial legislation. The Nation intends to invoke the ‘medicine chest’ clause of Treaty 6 to assert its inherent jurisdiction to provide services such as hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers.

This initiative responds to Alberta Bills 26, 27, and 29, which restrict certain healthcare services for transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit individuals, specifically prohibiting health professionals from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatments to minors. The move aims to protect both Indigenous and non-Indigenous gender-diverse individuals from these provincial restrictions.

To implement this plan, the Nation is working to attract clinicians to its territory and develop its own health law. Chief Dale Steinhauer indicated that clinicians providing care on reserve land would be exempt from sanctions by provincial regulatory bodies, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. 

To support the upcoming legal challenges and the development of this initiative, the Nation launched a fundraiser that successfully raised over CA$60,000 within two days. Dr. James Makokis, a Two-Spirit physician, noted the move is critical, describing the situation as a public health emergency facing gender-diverse people.

## Claims

- Saddle Lake Cree Nation plans to use the Treaty No. 6 ‘Medicine Chest’ clause to protect gender-affirming care on reserve lands. (corroborated by 22 sources)
- The initiative is a response to Alberta government bills 26, 27, and 29. (corroborated by 22 sources)
- Dr. James Makokis stated that 50 percent of gender-diverse people will experience suicidality or commit suicide. (corroborated by 20 sources)
- Alberta Bill 26 prohibits health professionals from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatments to minors. (corroborated by 7 sources)
- The Nation launched a fundraiser that raised over CA$60,000 in two days. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-11: Saddle Lake Cree Nation to provide gender-affirming care on reserve lands

Saddle Lake Cree Nation will assert sovereignty to provide gender-affirming care on reserve lands, invoking Treaty 6 to bypass Alberta's restrictive new healthcare legislation.

37 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/saddle-lake-cree-nation-to-protect-gender-affirming-care-on-reserve-lands

### 2026-09-09: Saddle Lake Cree Nation to provide gender-affirming care despite Alberta ban

Saddle Lake Cree Nation will invoke Treaty 6 rights to provide gender-affirming care on its land, defying Alberta's provincial ban on such treatments for youth under 16.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/saddle-lake-cree-nation-asserts-treaty-rights-for-gender-affirming-care

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Cite as: Saddle Lake Cree Nation gender-affirming care dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/saddle-lake-cree-nation-gender-affirming-care-dispute