Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, the Progressive Conservative party's leader, wants to strengthen parents' rights if she gets elected again this autumn. .Stefanson said parents should be told if their child wants to say they are a different gender while at school..Stefanson's support for parents comes just before Manitoba's 43rd provincial election, which is happening in less than two months..“We believe that parents know what is in the best interest of their children,” said Stefanson at a press conference. .“That’s why a re-elected PC government will formalize and enhance rights for parents and guardians in the Public Schools Act.”.“A lot has changed in 30 years,” said Stefanson. .“What we’re hearing is parents want to be better informed so they can make decisions on behalf of their children.”.Stefanson's Progressive Conservative party suggests that the following parental rights be added to Manitoba's Public Schools Act..Parents have the right to be involved in any bullying or other behaviour issues..The curriculum should be available to parents to keep them informed of what their children are learning in school..For all presentations by outside organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, the parents will be notified before the presentation. .READ MORE Planned Parenthood ‘sex cards’ at Sask school sparks parents' outrage.Images of any children will require consent before being made, shared, or stored on school systems..Seven parental rights already exist in the Public Schools Act, these new rights would be added under a new Progressive Conservative government following the election..When a reporter asked her if Stefanson thinks parents should be told if their child wants to use a different gender identity at school, she answered with a “yes.”.“Yes. I think it’s all of those things,” said Stefanson..“We know parents know what’s in the best interest of their kids. That will all be part of the consultation process.”.A reporter asked about what would happen in a situation where a child struggling with their gender identity does not want their parents to know about their social transition..“These [questions] will all come up in the consultation and that parents will decide where they want to move forward on that,” Stefanson responded..Stefanson is the second premier in Canada to express her support for parents to be told if their child wants to change genders at school..New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Premier, Blaine Higgs, changed the province's education policy 713 in June. Now, children under 16 need their parent's permission before changing their gender identity at school..Polls have indicated throughout Canada, there is strong support for policies that protect parental rights concerning the gender identity of their children. This support is particularly high among parents..A survey conducted by Leger and commissioned by Second Street showed 54% of individuals living in the Prairie provinces agree with schools informing parents when their children want to change genders or pronouns and only 20% disagree..The majority of people believe schools should provide teaching materials about race and gender for parents to review before they are used in the classroom, the survey also showed..Even though many people in the province believe in the importance of parents’ rights, Wab Kinew, the leader of the Manitoba NDP, criticized Stefanson's promise, saying it's a “dog whistle.”.“Heather Stefanson and the PCs are trying to divide Manitobans. In this case, they’re very clearly blowing a dog whistle about LGBTQ folks,” said Kinew. .The most recent poll conducted by Mainstreet Research indicated Stefanson's Progressive Conservatives were leading the NDP by four points. .The NDP sits at 38% support, while the Progressive Conservatives are at 42%..Manitoba voters head to the polls on Oct. 3 for the provincial election.
