The New Brunswick government is facing backlash from Ottawa over a new education policy targeting transgender kids.
After weeks of controversy, New Brunswick’s minister of education, Bill Hogan, unveiled three changes to a policy protecting LGBTQ students in schools, including no longer making it mandatory for teachers and staff to respect the chosen names and pronouns of children under 16 without parental consent, according to CBC News (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-policy-713-review-hogan-1.6863231).
The backlash included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who accused Blaine Higgs’s government of targeting transgender kids. The premier also faced opposition from his own caucus.
On Thursday, eight Progressive Conservative members, including six cabinet ministers, sat out question period and other legislative business to protest the changes, reports Global News (https://globalnews.ca/news/9758359/nb-blaine-higgs-lgbtq-policy-713-backlash/). In a statement, they expressed “extreme disappointment in a lack of process and transparency” in the policy’s review.
Later, on Thursday night, Trudeau spoke at a fundraiser for the LGBTQ charity Rainbow Railroad in Toronto, saying “Trans kids need to feel safe, not targeted by politicians.”
“We’re seeing that angry, hateful rhetoric rise on our continent, particularly targeting trans people,” he said. “Far-right political actors are trying to outdo themselves with the types of cruelty and isolation they can inflict on these already vulnerable people. Right now, 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.”
The former policy, which dated from 2020, said teachers must respect all children’s chosen names and pronouns, regardless of age, and that it should be up to the student whether their parents were informed.
Starting on July 1, children under the age of 16 must have parental consent to alter their names and pronouns at school.
Under the new policy, it now says if a child doesn’t consent to involving parents, they should be referred to social workers or a mental health professional.
“We have no intention of telling parents about a child’s gender identity if they don’t wish us to do so. We’re going to encourage them to speak with supportive professionals if they wish, and that’s how we’re going to proceed,” Hogan said.
Another change to the policy removes a reference to students being allowed to participate in activities “consistent with their gender identity”. There is also a new requirement that gender-neutral washrooms be private.
