Majority of Canadians agree with New Brunswick premier on gender identity
By Elie Cantin-Nantel
A poll finds that the majority of Canadians agree with New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs on requiring parents to be notified if their child wishes to change genders or pronouns at school.
Last week, the New Brunswick government unveiled a new policy requiring that transgender or “non-binary” students under the age of 16 receive parental consent in order for their name be officially changed for recordkeeping purposes and daily management (EECD, school district, and school software applications, report cards, class lists, etc).
The policy adds that “if it is not possible to obtain consent to talk to the parent, the student will be directed to the appropriate 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,” and if that “is not in the best interest of the child or could cause harm to the student (physical or mental threat),” then “the student will be directed to the appropriate school professional for support.”
In a Leger poll commissioned by SecondStreet.org, 57% of Canadians surveyed last month said they agreed that schools should make parents aware that their kids are wishing to change genders or pronouns, while just 18% said they opposed notifying parents and 25% said they did not know.
Support for the policy was consistent on regional, generational and gender lines. Support was also higher among those with kids in their household (62%), compared to those without kids (55%). Regional support for the measure was at its highest in Atlantic Canada (69%), followed by Quebec (61%) and Ontario (56%).