Most Canadians Say Schools Should Be Required to Inform Parents if a Child Wants to Change Their Gender: Poll

A school bus sits idle on Adelaide St., in Toronto, Jan. 17, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Tammy Hoy)

A majority of Canadians say schools should be required to inform the parents if a child expresses their desire to change their gender, a recent poll finds.

The poll, conducted by market research firm Leger, found that 57 percent of Canadians said that public schools have the obligation to tell parents about their child’s desire to switch genders or pronouns should their teachers become aware of it.

The findings were based on an online survey with 1,523 Canadians, aged 18 and over, conducted from May 5-7. It was commissioned by the think tank SecondStreet.org and released on May 11.

Only 18 percent said schools don’t need to inform the child’s parents, the survey indicated. Another 25 percent of respondents said they weren’t sure.

In addition, nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed said schools should post their “sensitive gender identity and race related” teaching materials online so that parents can view them ahead of time. One-third (31 percent) disagreed with this option, while 22 percent said they didn’t know.

‘Wrong Direction’

Colin Craig, president of SecondStreet.org, says Canadians are increasingly holding the view that the country’s public school system is going in the “wrong direction.”

“The number of Canadians who think the system is going in the wrong direction has jumped significantly over the last couple years,” he said in a press release on May 11.

“Governments would be wise to examine what’s driving this change and consider alternative options to support parents, including options outside of the public school system.”

According to the poll, 51 percent of Canadians believe the public education system has gone in the wrong direction in the last two decades. The rate of respondents indicating “wrong direction” is up 19 percentage points from the survey Leger conducted in October 2020.

A minority (25 percent) said that they believed schools were going in the “right direction,” while 24 percent said they weren’t sure if public schools are heading in the right or wrong direction.

‘Not to Involve the Parents’

In 2011, a document from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) argued that parents’ involvement in their child’s desire to change gender was not necessary.

“It is important not to involve the parents/caregivers of gender variant youth unless the youth themselves have already disclosed their identity to their families or you have a legal duty to report such as in the case of risk of self-harm,” said the document, addressed to schools.

Several school boards in Canada have reportedly followed the instructions set forth by PHAC. One of which is the Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) in eastern Ontario, which introduced its “RCDSB Gender Identity and Gender Expression Guideline” in 2022.

“Regardless of age or grade, schools must keep a student’s gender identity and gender expression status confidential unless the student gives explicit consent to inform the parent(s)/guardian(s), or there is a specific ‘need to know’ (e.g. to fulfill a specific accommodation request),” the guideline said.

“The school administrator will determine this based on the information available.”