REGINA — The Saskatchewan government says schools must now seek parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns.

Education Minister Dustin Duncan says the province wants to standardize pronoun and naming policies, as they varied from one school division to another.

A similar move earlier this year in New Brunswick was faced by intense opposition by LGBTQ groups.

Saskatchewan also says parents and guardians must be informed of a school’s sexual education curriculum and given the option to decline their child’s participation.

The province recently had a review done of its sexual education curriculum after Planned Parenthood inadvertently took inappropriate sexual material into a high school. 

Duncan says schools must pause any involvement with third-party organizations connected to sexual health education.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2023. 

The Canadian Press