Protest over Conservative gender identity policy in NB withdrawn
FREDERICTON — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is withdrawing its legal challenge to the directive for transgender students in New Brunswick, after the new Liberal government rescinded the Conservative policy.
The individual rights organization wanted to challenge in court the previous Conservative government's "harmful" decision to require students under the age of 16 to obtain their parents' consent before teachers can use their preferred first and second names at school.
But the policy of Blaine Higgs' Progressive Conservatives has since changed, after the Liberals won the October general election in New Brunswick. The Liberals quickly announced that they would allow young students to choose their own first and second names at school starting January 1.
In a statement, the civil liberties association said it was dropping its legal challenge because the government was now providing a "safer, more assertive and more inclusive" environment for New Brunswick students.
The Higgs government argued that parents had a right to know if their young children were questioning their gender identity, but critics called the directive discriminatory.
In October 2023, the Saskatchewan government passed legislation prohibiting children under the age of 16 from changing their first name or pronouns at school without their parents' consent. This law is also being challenged in court.
The individual rights organization wanted to challenge in court the previous Conservative government's "harmful" decision to require students under the age of 16 to obtain their parents' consent before teachers can use their preferred first and second names at school.
But the policy of Blaine Higgs' Progressive Conservatives has since changed, after the Liberals won the October general election in New Brunswick. The Liberals quickly announced that they would allow young students to choose their own first and second names at school starting January 1.
In a statement, the civil liberties association said it was dropping its legal challenge because the government was now providing a "safer, more assertive and more inclusive" environment for New Brunswick students.
The Higgs government argued that parents had a right to know if their young children were questioning their gender identity, but critics called the directive discriminatory.
In October 2023, the Saskatchewan government passed legislation prohibiting children under the age of 16 from changing their first name or pronouns at school without their parents' consent. This law is also being challenged in court.
