In response to the government of New Brunswick’s decision to update the province’s Policy 713, David Matsinhe, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research with Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, said: “We welcome the government of New Brunswick’s decision to allow children and youth in the province to have their chosen names and pronouns respected at school with or without parental consent. This is a step forward for 2SLGBTQQIA+ rights in New Brunswick, and we urge provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan to follow suit without delay.”
In 2023, the province adopted a rule forbidding school staff from using trans and non-binary children and youth’s gender-affirming names and pronouns without the consent of their parents or guardians. Similar policies have been imposed on the public education systems of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
2SLGBTQQIA+ advocacy groups, legal experts, and other civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Canada, have condemned parental-consent rules and other education policies that stigmatize 2SLGBTQQIA+ children and youth, put them in harm’s way, and threaten their constitutional rights.
