NB Premier Higgs ‘Didn’t Imagine’ School Pronoun Policy Would Be Followed by Other Provinces

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs delivers the State of the Province address in Fredericton, N.B., on Feb. 9, 2023. The Canadian Press/Stephen MacGillivray

OTTAWA—New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says he didn’t expect his government’s changes to sections of its school gender identity policy concerning pronouns would result in other premiers following suit. He said his intention was to “do what’s right” for families.

“No, I didn’t imagine it would be such a controversial issue, because it seems like such a basic fundamental principle that we all cherish,” Mr. Higgs said during a fireside chat at the annual Canada Strong and Free Conference on April 11.

“We certainly have talked amongst colleagues,” he said. “In those discussions, did I think it would turn into a national thing? No.”

Back in mid-2023, Mr. Higgs’s government became the first in Canada to implement a policy change that required teachers to obtain parental consent before using the preferred first name and pronoun of a transgender or non-binary student who is under 16.

The revisions to Policy 713, which sets out rules concerning the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, led eight Progressive Conservatives, including six of Mr. Higgs’s cabinet members, to come out against it.

Later in August 2023, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe also announced a policy requiring schools to get parents’ permission for students under 16 expressing a desire to change their pronouns.

Six months later, in February 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduced similar legislation, which also banned gender-altering surgery for those under 18 and puberty blockers for those under 16.

Mr. Higgs told the conference that after closely examining his province’s school policy and reading the paragraph that says teachers are not to inform parents about their children’s desire to change pronouns, he was alarmed.

“This isn’t right. This isn’t the foundation of families that we’re built on,” he said.

The premier noted that the challenge was how to have a debate on a “sensitive issue” and find a path forward that would protect children.

“I think that we have walked away from too many controversial issues, and that is why we’ve seen kind of an erosion of what we might have always considered standard,” he said.

Mr. Higgs also remarked that it was “amazing” his government has been labelled far-right for “having parents involved with their kids.” He said the solution his government has put forward “just seems to be really right,” rather than far-right.

The premier said that, when introducing the policy, he had discussed with his wife of over 40 years the possibility that his leadership could be put in jeopardy. “We both realized this could be the issue that either continues us in government or takes us out, but we were both prepared to say, ‘fair enough.’”

Carbon Tax and Global Emissions

During the fireside chat, Mr. Higgs also addressed the federal carbon tax, which he and several other premiers have asked to be lessened.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected calls to reverse the April 1 carbon tax increase and declined to meet with six premiers to discuss the issue.

“It’s disappointing, but you get used to it,” Mr. Higgs said, adding that his government also wants to increase energy exports to other countries. He said New Brunswick has nearly 2.2 trillion cubic metres (77 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas reserves that could be developed, as well as a liquified natural gas terminal that could be converted into an export facility.

“So we have supply, we have a market, we have four countries, without even asking, saying, ‘we’ll sign for a 20-year deal,” he said, adding that meanwhile China is building coal plants at a rate of two a week.

“For every coal plant that’s shut down by natural gas, we reduce emissions by 50 percent,“ Mr. Higgs said. ”We have an opportunity right here in New Brunswick to shut down coal plants.”

Mr. Higgs also said that when it comes to carbon emissions, the Liberal government needs to think “out of the box.” He said the feds should consider the role Canada could play in reducing global emissions and not just Canada’s “own little bubble,” producing less than 1.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.