Francophone district education council seeks legal opinion on Policy 713 - Action News
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New Brunswick

Francophone district education council seeks legal opinion on Policy 713

The district education council of at least one francophone school district has sought advice from Ottawa-based law firm Emond Harnden about how to respond to changes in New Brunswick's new gender-identity school policy.

Anglophone councils already asking for advice on whether they can sue N.B. government

A group of people stand outside a historical building. Several people are carrying large pride flags.
Supporters of Policy 713, prior to recent amendments, outside the legislature in Fredericton in May. (Isabelle Arseneau/Radio-Canada)

The district education council in atleast one francophone school district has sought advice from Ottawa-based law firm Emond Harnden about how to respond to New Brunswick's new gender-identity school policy.

The decision comes on the heels of a decision byanglophone district education councilsto hire a lawyer to help them decide whether they can sue the province over Policy 713.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has already announced it plansto sue over the policy, which the government changed this summer.

A news release this week from the Francophone Northwest district said the district education council finds itself in a difficult position on the policy.

A woman is seated indoors to the left of a black book shelf with glass doors. She has her hair tied back and is wearing a grey textured turtle neck sweater.
Francine Cyr, president of the education council in the Francophone Northwest district, said the changes to the gender-identity policy have put the council in a difficult position. (Mathilde Pineault/Radio-Canada)

"We are caught between the education and childhood development minister, and the child and youth advocate," Francine Cyr, the president of the district education council, said in the French-language release.

Cyr was not available for an interview Wednesday.

Education Minister Bill Hogan has changed Policy 713 to make it mandatory for teachers to getparental consent when students under 16 askthat their chosen names and pronouns be used verbally.Official name and pronoun changes for that age grouphave always required parental consent, and that hasn't changed.

If those younger studentsaren't ready to speak to their parents, they are to be encouraged to see an "appropriate professional,"the policy says, to help them come up with a plan to speak to their parents.

A man with glasses wearing a grey suit sits behind a desk with flags behind him.
Education Minister Bill Hogan has made several announcements this summerabout Policy 713. (CBC)

But Kelly Lamrock, the province's child and youth advocate,said in August that the changes to the gender-identity policy violate the provincial Human Rights Act, the Education Act and children's charter rights.

In the release this week, the Francophone Northwest education council said it would act in the interests of students of the district.

"It's our duty to offer them a healthy, safe and inclusive educational environment that respects their legal and fundamental rights," Cyr said.

Bespectacled man wearing a button-uo shirt opened at the neck and a suit jacket.
Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswicks child, youth and seniors advocate, said the changes to policy 713 violate the rights of children and youth. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Thesame district had announced in June that it would hold public consultations on the matter, but in the release, it said it decided obtaining a legal opinion was a better course of action.

Cyrsaid the file has evolved a lot in several weeks and council members believe that working with lawyers is the best way to make informed decisions and to best defend the interests of children and youth.

According to the newsrelease, the Francophone Northeast and Francophone South district councilswanted lawyers to help with their 713 questions.

A spokesperson for Francophone Northeast confirmed this was the case but Francophone South did not respond to questions.

With files from Hadeel Ibrahim