SK Premier Says Parents Are Best Experts on Child Gender Identity Policy

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to media at the Legislative Building in Regina on March 9, 2018. Michael Bell/The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says parents themselves are the “leading experts” on their children as the government faces criticism for a new policy requiring parental consent to change a child’s pronouns or gender identity at school.

“I’ve been asked what experts we consulted in creating the Parental Inclusion and Consent policy. I believe the leading experts in children’s upbringing are their parents,” said Mr. Moe on the social media platform X on Aug. 27.

The premier also shared the results of a new Angus Reid poll on Aug. 28 and said there was “strong support” in Saskatchewan and across Canada for parental inclusion and consent in education. Mr. Moe cited poll results that said 86 percent of adults in the province supported “some level of notification for parents when children want to change their gender identity in school.”

The poll found that 50 percent of Saskatchewan parents said they “must be informed and give consent” for any change, while 36 percent said they must be informed if their child wants to identify differently.

New Policy

Saskatchewan is the latest province to bring in a new so-called “parental inclusion and consent” policy. In part, it requires that schools seek permission from parents or guardians to change a child’s preferred name and pronouns used at school while they are under the age of 16.

Saskatchewan’s new policy states that parents and guardians must also be informed about the sexual health education curriculum and have the option to decline their child’s participation. The government has told school boards to immediately “pause involvement” with any third-party agency undertaking sexual health education while the ministry of education evaluates a review of resources.

“Our government has heard the concerns raised by Saskatchewan parents about needing to be notified and included in their children’s education in these important areas,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in an Aug. 22 news release.

“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,” Mr. Duncan said at a news conference on Aug. 22.

The minister also said it was important to standardize policy across school divisions for the purposes of consistency.

“Parent [and] guardian involvement is critical in every student’s education,” Mr. Duncan said. “Schools will continue to ensure safe learning environments where all students feel included, protected and respected.”

The new policy announcement follows reports that the non-profit Planned Parenthood took graphic sexual material, specifically ABC sex cards, into a Grade 9 classroom, prompting parents’ outrage and a provincial review of the sex education curriculum.

Other Provinces

New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs implemented a similar policy on June 8. Mr. Higgs said the province had to find a solution “where we do not exclude parents in their child’s life.” He said the policy is “taking a strong position for families” and stands up for parents.

N.B. Minister of Education Bill Hogan announced that as of July 1, students under the age of 16 could not change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent. The new policy requires the school to talk to students about contacting their parents on the issue, or to direct the student to a mental health professional to “work with them in the development of a plan to speak with their parents if and when they are ready to do so.”

“We believe that it’s fundamentally wrong to not share this information with the parents if we are using [a student’s preferred name] on a daily basis,” Mr. Hogan said.

At a news conference in Manitoba on Aug. 17, Progressive Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson also announced her party would be proceeding with an updated policy on parental rights if re-elected.

“You raised them and nurtured them, so who better than you—as parents—to know what’s best for your child as you send them off to school,” said Ms. Stefanson.