Premier of New Brunswick Prohibits Group from Schools Following Controversial Sex-Ed Talk

May 25, 2024 TruthUSA

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs expressed his dismay at the “inappropriate” content that was shared with students at New Brunswick high schools. As a result, the group responsible for the presentation will no longer be permitted in schools.

“A number of concerned parents brought to my attention photos and screenshots of clearly inappropriate material that was recently presented in at least four New Brunswick high schools,” he stated in a May 24 post on X, previously known as Twitter.

“To say I am angry would be an understatement,” he added.

“This presentation was not part of the New Brunswick curriculum and the content was not disclosed to parents beforehand,” he further explained. “According to the Department of Education officials, this was supposed to be a presentation on HPV.”

The premier emphasized that the material went beyond what was expected for an HPV presentation.

“This group will no longer have the authorization to present in New Brunswick schools, effective immediately,” he declared in the post.

Policy 713

Mr. Higgs faced criticism following alterations made to Policy 713 in the province, which now mandates schools to notify parents if a student wishes to change their name or pronouns.

After the changes, several party-riding presidents called for a leadership review. Six Cabinet ministers abstained from legislative activities on June 8, 2023, in protest. The ministers of post-secondary education, Trevor Holder, and social development, Dorothy Shephard, resigned.

Premier Higgs views the policy changes as one of his government’s major achievements. He stated that he was surprised to learn that in the initial policy, teachers were advised not to inform parents if their children wanted to change names or pronouns.

“I have always believed that parents should have a primary role in raising their children. While acknowledging the reality of gender diversity, we must find ways to manage it,” he remarked during a year-end interview with The Canadian Press.

Policy 713 outlines that if educators cannot obtain consent from the child to contact parents, the student will be referred to a school social worker or psychologist to devise a plan for initiating communication with their parents.

Mr. Higgs anticipates that parental rights will feature prominently in the Progressive Conservative Party’s campaign leading to the upcoming election on Oct. 21.

Saskatchewan Bans Planned Parenthood

In June 2023, Saskatchewan’s then-education minister, Dustin Duncan, suspended Planned Parenthood from conducting presentations in schools following the introduction of “inappropriate” sexual content in a high school in Lumsden, north of Regina.

The material featured explicit sexual words starting with each letter of the alphabet. Planned Parenthood clarified that the material was not part of their presentation but was available on a side table.

“It is completely inappropriate for the classroom setting, which is the basis for today’s directive,” Mr. Duncan explained at the time.

The executive director of Regina’s Planned Parenthood expressed disappointment with the decision.

Julian Wotherspoon stated that the organization discusses contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections, and sexual consent while teachers are present in the classrooms.

Matthew Horwood and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

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