News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The following statement was issued today by Claire Roussel-Sullivan, chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission:

For the past few days, various news stories have been circulating in the media suggesting that the New Brunswick government is considering a review of Policy 713, a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development document that establishes protocols for ensuring a safe, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for LGBTQI2S+ students, their parents, and allies. The commission expresses concern about some of these news stories, and it emphasizes that the government has obligations to safeguard the equality and dignity of all school-going children. These obligations ensue from the government’s commitments under the international, national, and provincial human rights system.

Policy 713 sets down minimum standards to which schools must adhere in order to promote respect, dignity, and equality of LGBTQI2S+ students, on a par with the rights enjoyed by all other students, to foster among trans students a sense of belonging and connection with their school. The provisions of Policy 713 are aligned with fundamental rights enshrined in the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the New Brunswick Human Rights Act.

Under Articles 28 and 29 of the CRC, state parties must ensure that their education systems nurture respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and these systems allow each child to develop “his or her own cultural identity, language and values”. In June 2022, in its Periodic Report on Canada, the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child urged the Canadian government, including its provincial and territorial counterparts, to strengthen efforts to promote a culture of human rights in its education system, ensure the integration of human rights principles in school curricula, and develop educational materials to cultivate respect and appreciation of diversity in schools across the country.

Likewise, in constitutional terms, the provincial government’s laws and regulations must abide by the charter, and its fundamental freedoms and equality rights. Furthermore, in the provincial legal domain, the Human Rights Act protects all persons in New Brunswick from discrimination under the grounds of gender identity or expression and sexual orientation, ensuring equal rights of LGBTQI2S+ children and their parents to avail the government’s education services.

It is in times such as these that we should be able to rely on our government to uphold the culture of respect, equality, and dignity of all persons, which our society has achieved after prolonged sacrifices and hardships. These rights are here to stay. The government has a moral, legal, and constitutional obligation to protect and promote these human rights, and to educate New Brunswickers that these rights and obligations apply equally to all persons in our province. Furthermore, as a society, all of us need to demonstrate awareness and respect for our shared human rights values.