CLC Blog

I wrote several weeks ago about Policy 713, a pro-LGBT educational policy that harmed students, particularly girls, and that drove a wedge between children and their parents. Under that nightmarish policy, boys could access girls’ washrooms and changerooms if they merely self-identified as “female”. They could also join girls’ sports. Worst of all, schools were instructed to hide a student’s “gender transition” from parents, if the student wanted.

Premier Blaine Higgs and Education Minister Bill Hogan dared to take a stand for parents and families by making some key changes to these controversial elements within Policy 713.

The most important change was requiring parents to give their consent for a student’s “gender transition” to be recognized, for students under age 16.

It seems obvious to me (and to every New Brunswick parent I have met) that children who want to take the drastic step of changing their identity, changing their name, and adopting an entirely new persona must be experiencing some serious trauma or mental illness. There is something terribly wrong, and their parents must certainly be informed! Parental consent is a must!

Keeping parents in the dark is a recipe for disaster. It only opens the door to grooming and abuse.

Nevertheless, common sense is not so common these days, and the Higgs government has been getting a lot of flak over this policy change. Even the Prime Minister has criticized Mr. Higgs, and some members of his own party are calling for a leadership review.

That’s why I asked you to send an Action Alert Email to your MLA to urge them to support the changes Premier Higgs made to Policy 713. These emails will help hold our elected officials accountable.

However, I am asking you to take one additional step today. I am asking you to reach out to the New Brunswick Child and Youth Advocate, Kelly Lamrock.

Mr. Lamrock is conducting a public consultation on the changes Mr. Higgs made to Policy 713. This consultation is gathering public opinion and feedback, which will form the basis for a final report to be delivered to the government on August 15.

Being a notorious supporter of the LGBT agenda, I fear that Mr. Lamrock will craft a very skewed report unless the parents, grandparents, and citizens of New Brunswick speak up in large number.

You can take part in the public consultation by filling out the form at the bottom of the following web page: https://www.cyanb.ca/policy713

Here are some suggestions as to what you might want to say:

• I believe that children in New Brunswick schools have the right to privacy, security, and safety. Access to washrooms and changerooms that match their physical, bodily reality must be guaranteed. Washrooms and changerooms are sex-segregated because they reflect real differences in anatomy and physiology. They have nothing to do with a child’s “mental state” or “gender identity”. Our washrooms and changerooms must not be used to conduct some new social engineering experiment on our kids, treating them like lab rats. To do so is highly abusive and harmful.

• I support the changes Premier Higgs has made to Policy 713. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 18.1, “Parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child. The best interests of the child will be their basic concern.” It is parents, not teachers or school officials, who are primarily responsible for raising their children and keeping them healthy and safe. Teachers and schools must work with parents and inform them of any significant issues, concerns, or changes that occur in the student’s life. A change of gender, identity, or name is a major change! If parents are not consulted, they will be unable to fulfil their responsibilities, and children will only suffer as a result.

• A child should never be allowed, or encouraged, to live a schizophrenic double life, pretending to be one thing at school, and another thing at home. A school’s responsibility is to work closely with parents and help them to help their children live open and authentic lives that match their true, God-given identity. This should not be open for debate. That is why I support the changes that have been made to Policy 713.

• According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Canada is a signatory, “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.” (Article 26.3). It is parents, not the state, and not the education system, that must have the final say as to what children should be taught and how they are to be treated in school. To suggest that schools in New Brunswick should somehow operate outside of parental oversight or parental consent is obscene – and a violation of international law.

• The case of Paul J. Maillet, a Moncton teacher facing dozens of charges for allegedly sexually assaulting his elementary students raises serious concerns for New Brunswick parents related to Policy 713. The old Policy 713 allowed for a dangerous cloak of secrecy to exist in the school environment, where a teacher could hide intimate discussions with students from parents – discussions touching on sexuality and gender expression. It’s not hard to imagine how an immoral teacher might take advantage of this situation to groom or abuse students. Mr. Higgs’ updates to Policy 713 help remove the cloak of secrecy and create an atmosphere of openness and transparency in our schools, which is for everyone’s benefit and safety, especially for our children.

Be sure to express your support of Mr. Higgs’ changes to Policy 713 by writing the Child and Youth Advocate: https://www.cyanb.ca/policy713