Opposing Gender Ideology in Canadian Public Schools

March 8, 2025 TruthUSA

Commentary

Currently, it is common for schools to teach children that a boy can be born in a girl’s body and vice versa. The question arises – How did this come about? And how can we put a stop to it?

The prevalence of gender ideology in universities and teachers’ colleges predates the inclusion of “gender identity” in human rights and education laws across Canada in the early to mid-2010s. However, once enshrined in legislation, it swiftly permeated the school system as well. Only in 2023 did this ideology face significant political opposition.

Gender ideology conveys to children the concept of a disembodied “gender identity” that is distinct from their biological sex yet is somehow still connected to the male and female categories. Gender identity is defined as one’s internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither.

In spite of its ambiguity and subjectivity, gender identity is purported to take precedence over biological sex, which is simply “assigned at birth” and can be altered through synthetic hormones and surgery. It seems that embracing one’s true self may now necessitate substantial medical interventions on a healthy body.

The initial resistance emerged in June 2023 when New Brunswick’s government declared that public schools cannot facilitate a social transition for a child without parental consent. This sparked a nationwide uproar from progressive circles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the move as a “far-right” effort to inflict suffering and isolation on vulnerable children. Nonetheless, Saskatchewan promptly mirrored New Brunswick’s decision, prohibiting school personnel from using a student’s preferred name or pronouns without parental approval for students under 15.

Following a legal injunction preventing Saskatchewan from enforcing its policy, the government responded by enacting amendments to its Education Act to safeguard parents’ authority as the primary decision-maker concerning their child’s education and development. Additionally, parents have the right to be informed about school policies, lessons, and their child’s academic progress.

To safeguard its parental bill of rights, the government shielded it with the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Alberta followed suit in 2024, taking a more stringent stance against gender ideology. Apart from mandating parental consent for social transitioning, Alberta’s law necessitates parental approval for sexuality or gender identity lessons in schools and requires school boards to seek permission from the education minister before allowing external advocates to teach such topics. In addition to education policy, Alberta passed a bill prohibiting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children under 15, along with all “gender affirming” surgeries for minors. Furthermore, Alberta enacted a bill last year to safeguard female-only sports.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) was the first entity to legally challenge these new policies by suing New Brunswick over its parental consent policy. Interestingly, while in the 1980s and 1990s the CCLA advocated for removing religious teaching from public schools, it now seems to support the mandatory inclusion of the concept of a mystical, disembodied true gender self in public education.

The CCLA fails to recognize that enhancing transparency and parental accountability in public schools is a pro-civil liberties measure that deserves their endorsement. A society requi…

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