People hold signs during a demonstration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada's trans and LGBTQ community are being planned across Canada on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Heated exchanges between protesters and counter-protesters are taking place across the country today over school policies on gender identity.
Posters created by a group called “1MillionMarch4Children” say rally participants are standing together against what they call “gender ideology” in the nation’s schools.
The protests are linked to policies across the country, including in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, that require young people to get parental consent before teachers can use their preferred first names and pronouns.
But the rallies are being met with counter-protesters who say those policies are a violation of children’s rights and that transgender youth should not be outed to their parents by teachers.
Protests are occurring across the country, including in Montreal, Fredericton and Ottawa – where thousands of people are facing off in front of Parliament Hill and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh led a group of counter-protesters down Wellington Street.
In Fredericton, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs – whose government helped spark the national debate about gender policies in schools – told reporters today that parents must be informed if their children are questioning their gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.
