Ottawa ‘Watching Closely’ as Provinces Change School Gender-Transition Policies

Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien speaks at a news conference in Ottawa on Aug. 9, 2022 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Canada’s minister for women, gender equality, and youth is critical of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan’s new policies saying schools must have parental consent to use the chosen name of a child who is changing genders.

“We’re watching closely as this develops,” Minister Marci Ien told The Canadian Press on Aug. 30. She decline to say whether Ottawa would get involved directly.

“Obviously anything is possible, but I’m not going to comment on anything hypothetical at this time,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized New Brunswick’s policy, which took effect July 1, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said the federal government should not get involved in the province’s decision.

“Trans kids in New Brunswick are being told they don’t have the right to be their true selves, that they need to ask permission,” Trudeau said at a fundraiser on June 8.

“The prime minister has no business in decisions that should rest with provinces and parents,” Poilievre told reporters at an event in Moncton, New Brunswick, on June 27. “So my message to Justin Trudeau is, ‘Butt out and let provinces run schools and let parents raise kids.’”

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On Aug. 20, Poilievre affirmed that he supports parental rights.

“I believe in parental rights, and parental rights come before the government’s right,” he told Awaz media.

Conservatives will debate at their convention starting next week a resolution geared toward protecting minors affected by “gender confusion or dysphoria.”

Ien said if schools refuse to use transgender students’ preferred names, it will put them in “a life-or-death situation.”

‘Parents Need to Be Involved’

Parental rights advocates have told The Epoch Times that keeping a gender-change secret from parents can be harmful to children in many ways.

“Transition isn’t right for everybody at every point in time,” says Julia Malott, a transgender person who supports New Brunswick and Saskatchewan’s new policies. “That’s something that the parents need to be involved in,” Malott told The Epoch Times.

Each child is different, Malott said, some with mental health issues or other unique situations the parents are in a better position to assess than school staff.

An Angus Reid poll published on Aug. 28 showed that 78 percent of Canadians think parents should be informed if their children are changing genders at school. At a press conference the same day, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce spoke in favour of informing parents.

“We have to respect the rights of parents, recognizing that these can be life-changing decisions,” Lecce said.

No policy changes have been announced, however, for Ontario as of yet. Some Ontario school boards have policies that say a parent will not be notified of name and pronoun changes.

“A school should never disclose a student’s gender non‐conformity or transgender status to the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver(s) without the student’s explicit prior consent. This is true regardless of the age of the student,” says the Toronto District School Board’s policy.

Board spokesperson Ryan Bird told The Epoch Times via email that the board will incorporate Lecce’s new direction into “any future versions” of its guidelines, but did not have a timeline for doing so.

A petition started by advocacy group Parents as First Educators calls on Lecce to back up his statement with legislation.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has also spoken in favour of informing parents. She made a campaign promise on Aug. 17 to make policy changes to that effect if reelected.

NB, Sask. Policies

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Education Minister Bill Hogan made changes to the province’s policies on July 1.

The current policy states that schools must use the preferred names and pronouns of students 16 and older, but for students younger than 16, parental consent is required to formally change their names and pronouns within the school system.

“If it is not possible to obtain consent to talk to the parent, the student will be encouraged to communicate with the appropriate professionals to develop a plan to speak with their parents when they are ready to do so,” the policy states. It says counsellors and other support professionals may use the preferred name and pronoun while helping the student develop such a plan.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and then-education minister Dustin Duncan announced policy changes on Aug. 22, effective immediately. In a recent cabinet shuffle, Duncan became public service minister.

“Schools must seek parent/guardian permission when changing the preferred name and pronouns used by students under the age of 16 in the school,” the policy states. It also says parents must be informed regarding sex-ed curriculum and given opt-out options.

It does away with third-party organizations presenting sex-ed content to students following a scandal over sexually explicit materials presented by Planned Parenthood to a Grade 9 class in the province.

Along with the announcement, Moe tweeted on Aug. 22 a video of Duncan commenting on the policy change.

“If we are requiring school divisions to get parental consent to go on a half-day trip to the Science Centre, then I think we need to be treating this issue with the same amount of seriousness,” Duncan said.

Noé Chartier and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.