Ford says it's important parents are informed about children's decisions amid debate over pronouns in schools

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to journalists at the Queen's Park Legislature in Toronto on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it is important that parents are informed "when their children make a decision" amid an ongoing debate over students' preferred pronouns in school.

"It's not up to the teachers. It's not up to the school boards to indoctrinate our kids," the premier said during his speech at Ford Fest in Kitchener on Friday.

"It's the parents' responsibility to hear what the kids are doing and not the school boards. I can't even figure out what school boards do nowadays, by the way."

His remarks echoed what Education Minister Stephen Lecce said last week about the issue of a child choosing to use a different pronoun at school.

"I think we understand though that parents must be fully involved and fully aware of what's happening in the life of their children," Lecce said on Aug. 28.

"I mean, often there are health implications, and I think we have to respect the rights of parents and recognize that these can be life-changing decisions, and I think parents want to be involved so that they can support their kids. And I think that's a really important principle that we must uphold."

The minister prefaced his comments by saying that schools should be safe for all children. He noted that teachers and school boards take home environments into account "where there are exceptional circumstances" or "situations of potential harm to the child."

The debate over gender pronouns in schools comes in the wake of Saskatchewan joining New Brunswick in legislating parental consent for students under the age of 16 who want to change their given names and/or pronouns at school.

Lecce did not say if the Ontario government would so the same, only pointing out that his comments reflect the "province's position on the matter."

The minister's remarks drew criticism from 2SLGBTQ+ advocates and education groups. Kathleen Wynne, Ontario's first lesbian premier, told CP24 last week that a similar policy in Ontario could put children at risk. Unifor also released a statement, saying it was appalled with Lecce's comments.

"For queer and trans students, exploring their identity in social settings is hard enough without their teachers being forced to out them to parents for the simple request of going by a different name or pronoun in class," said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.

"By dragging Ontario schools into this culture war, Minister Lecce is proving that Ontario's PCs are just like any other Tories- ready to throw trans kids under the bus to distract from policies that have decimated public services, including education."

A recent poll found that 43 per cent Ontarians believe parents must both be informed and give consent of an identity change, while 34 per cent said parents should simply be informed.

About 16 per cent of respondents said it should solely be up to the child.

- with files from CTV Toronto's Katherine DeClerq