Holt government guts parental rights in New Brunswick
'We feel that a child of any age has the potential to have the capacity to voice their preference,' stated Education Minister Claire Johnson.
The new Liberal New Brunswick government of Premier Susan Holt has changed Policy 713, allowing students of any age to choose their own names and pronouns for informal use at school without requiring parental consent.
The new policy, set to take effect on January 1, 2025, encourages parental involvement but does not mandate it, even for younger children.
"Students are not required to make their parents aware that they wish to informally change their first names or pronouns at school," Education Minister Claire Johnson stated. "However, we encourage parental awareness, always — when it’s safe to do."
The changes restore key aspects of the original Policy 713, which had been altered by the Blaine Higgs Progressive Conservative government to require parental consent for students under 16.
A Liberal government in New Brunswick would rollback parental rights should they form government next week. The Liberals are entertaining name and pronoun changes for students as young as grade six without parental consent.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) October 17, 2024
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The reversal of the parent's right to be informed aligns with recommendations made by child and youth advocate Kelly Lamrock
Lamrock had stated, "The parents do not have the right to a state apparatus to force their child to live by their values," and recommended assessments for younger children to determine their capacity to make such decisions.
However, the Holt government went further than the radical idea that parents don't have the right to raise their children with their own values, eliminating age thresholds altogether.
Johnson explained, "We feel that a child of any age has the potential to have the capacity to voice their preference," adding that the decision also avoids potential legal challenges to age-based restrictions.
CBC's Rosemary Barton says "experts" are calling New Brunswick's policy of requiring parental consent for students under 16 to change their gender at school "transphobic". Premier Higgs says "parents need to play a role" during a child's "formative years."
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The first version of Policy 713, implemented in 2020, allowed all students, regardless of age, to be referred to by their preferred pronouns and names in school settings, without parental consent or notification. In April 2023 the Higgs government reviewed the policy and changed it.
PC Opposition Leader Glen Savoie, who supported Higgs last year on the issue as a member of his cabinet, issued a statement to the CBC supporting parents.
"The parents of New Brunswick school children will let the members of the Holt government know how they feel about these changes. Theirs is the voice that matters most," he said.
Parental consent is still required for formal changes to official school records, such as legal name updates, for students under 16.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2024-12-20 21:44:46 -0500These pushers of perversion never give up so we mustn’t either. Were I in New Brunswick, I’d object to children’s minds being warped by delusional ideas. Let children be children. Once they reach 18 years old, let them bear the responsibility of adulthood but don’t destroy them with perverse ideas before then.
