New Brunswick’s premier and education minister say it is necessary to review the province’s Policy 713 related to sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, despite recommendations from the province’s child advocate to halt the review.
In the Legislature on May 16, Premier Blaine Higgs highlighted some parts of the policy he is concerned about, including the requirement that students be referred to by their chosen pronoun and name without communication to the parents. “We need to understand that policy … and why parents don’t play any role,” he said.
Another concern is the age-appropriateness of what is being taught regarding gender and sexuality. “Any parent will want to understand what their kids are learning,” Higgs said.
He also referred to the requirement that students be able to participate in school sports in a manner “consistent with their gender identity.” These policy affect “all students” he said, and he wants to discuss them further with parents and other stakeholders.
“We have not changed Policy 713, contrary to fearmongering,” Education Minister Bill Hogan added. “We are reviewing it.” Hogan and Higgs both said they are committed to protecting human rights and vulnerable children.
Policy 713 was enacted in 2020, and this sudden review of it has taken people off guard, said the Liberal opposition leader, Susan Holt. She said she has heard from parents, students, and teachers who are “deeply concerned. I would say they’re more than concerned; they’re scared.”
She said the minister and premier should listen to Kelly Lamrock, a provincial official known as the child and youth advocate, who released a report May 10 saying the education department should suspend its review “until they have clear terms of reference.”
Lamrock said, “Those terms of reference should put in writing the encouraging words that the Minister has offered in interviews—that the review is not going to make human rights a political debating point and throw vulnerable kids into the culture wars of adults.”
Minister Hogan told reporters on May 10 that he will not express his personal opinions on Policy 713, but he is undertaking the review because he has received hundreds of emails from people concerned about it.
Lamrock’s report, however, says the ministry only provided him with three such emails. The education ministry did not respond as of publication to an Epoch Times inquiry attempting to clarify why it provided only three emails to Lamrock.
Lamrock included in his report the three emails in question.
One email started, “It has come to my attention that a grade 5 class of children at [school name redacted] … had a Zoom meeting with a transgender person who told the children that they could be whatever they want to be.”
It continued: “I am not homophobic. I just want kids to grow up happy and healthy without being lied to that they need to change their gender to accomplish that.”
Another email was from a Christian parent saying LGBTQ materials are presented and discussed in classrooms, but many other perspectives aren’t, including Christian beliefs.
The third email asked for information about what is being taught in New Brunswick schools regarding gender—particularly whether children are being told they can pick their gender. It also asked about anti-racism teachings in schools.
Hogan reiterated in the Legislature on May 16 that he has received “hundreds and hundreds of emails” regarding Policy 713 and sex education.
The policy has some overlap with sex education in that it requires classrooms to have materials and activities positive toward LGBTQ people. Classroom instruction and materials must also “strive to use inclusive and gender-neutral language.”
The policy says schools must support the establishment of a Gender Sexuality Alliance, membership to which does not require parental consent.
Some materials might be “going places children are not developmentally ready to be,” Hogan said on May 10. “I want to ensure that the rights are protected and that when we’re teaching our curricula, parents are informed.”