N.B. premier promises not to repeal Policy 713, but maintains the rights of parents

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says he won’t fully repeal Policy 713 — which provides protection and safe spaces for LGBTQ2 students in schools — despite his government’s review of it only two years after its implementation.

“I want to be clear,” he said, speaking to reporters. “”Everyone, and I mean everyone in our school system, deserves to feel safe. Everyone, and there is no moving away from that. (Policy) 713 — we’re not repealing or revoking. We have a couple of clauses that we need better understanding and that’s what we’re working on.”

Despite the promise, he did double down on some of the controversial comments he made earlier in the week, including asserting the rights of parents over those of LGBTQ2 students and children.

It has been two days since Higgs spoke publicly following those comments.

2:09 N.B. minister’s commitment to consultation on Policy 713 questioned

He also reiterated he did not believe young children should be exposed to drag story time, which has nothing to do with the policy.

Higgs did tell reporters there could be circumstances where, if identified by a guidance counsellor, outing a child may be harmful.

“They have a guidance counsellor to do that, and then that guidance counsellor can on what they see should be the next steps, and if that next step is that they don’t have a home life that supports them in any way, then obviously you’re not going to put the child in harm’s way,” he said.

He was non-committal on situations in which a child simply is not ready to tell their parents.

“To suggest that we should supersede the obligation of the parent under law … to be the guardian of that child and say that doesn’t apply … it does apply, that is the law.”

But for the opposition parties, any changes to a policy that was developed by experts who know what protections are required and needed puts students at risk.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt said it is hard to be confident in anything the government might say is hard given everything that has happened in the past week.

“We will be watching very closely to make sure Policy 713 is upheld in its full strength and that any tinkering they do does not open the door to put kids at risk,” she said.

Green party Leader David Coon said he feels like the main concern for those in the community is students being outed without their consent, so the promise doesn’t feel strong enough.

“The letters, the phone calls and emails to MLAs, to leaders like myself, to the premier’s office, certainly the minister of education’s office, just saying, ‘Just stop, just stop right now,’ is reflective of that, and that’s what they need to do. Stop. Back up. Back off,” he said.