Pair of polls suggest Canadians divided on Sask. pronoun policies

Two polls held this month suggest Canadians are split almost evenly on Saskatchewan’s new pronoun policy.

The policy – which has created a storm of controversy in the province and beyond – requires schools to notify parents when a young student wants to change the name or pronouns they use in school. The provincial government is currently working to use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to make the new measures law, overruling a court injunction blocking the policy.

A poll by spark*insights – commissioned by Egale Canada, an advocacy group which describes itself as “Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues” – surveyed 1,300 Canadians early in October.

“Canadians are split on whether teachers should be required to tell parents about gender identity changes in schools,” poll authors Bruce Anderson and Alex Kohut wrote.

Hundreds of people gather in front of the Saskatchewan legislature to show their opposition to the school pronoun policy being forced into law. Oct. 10, 2023 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

According to the poll, 49 per cent of Canadians think teachers should be required to inform parents about a student’s change of gender identity in schools, while 51 per cent think teachers should decide based on the individual circumstances of the student involved.

Among the 350 Saskatchewan respondents, 55 per cent wanted teachers to have discretion when it comes to informing parents, slightly higher than the national rate.

Meanwhile, just 18 per cent of Saskatchewan people polled thought the issue was a big enough priority to merit Premier Scott Moe’s rapid push to enshrine the policy into law. Just eight per cent in Saskatchewan thought parental rights should be a top priority for the provincial government.

“Even those who support Premier Moe’s position and supporters of his party are not convinced of the urgency and the use of the notwithstanding clause,” Anderson and Kohut wrote.

“In both cases, slim majorities prefer patience over implementing the notwithstanding clause now.”

One big issue around the policy is the question of whether a school informing parents about a change in name or pronouns without the student’s consent could cause harm. Among those polled, 60 per cent said harm was likely, while 24 per cent said it was almost certain.

Leger poll finds wider split

Another poll held early this month by Leger found a slightly wider split in a Canada-wide poll of 1,518 people held Oct. 6 to 8.

Leger’s poll found 63 per cent believe schools should inform parents if a child wishes to change their gender or pronouns in schools, and 45 per cent believe parents should be told “even if the child does not feel safe informing their parents of their desire to change gender or pronouns.”

According to Leger, 46 per cent support using the notwithstanding clause to ensure parents are informed, including 59 per cent of parents surveyed.

The survey also found a majority (54 per cent) of Canadians think sexual orientation and gender identity are important topics which should be discussed in classrooms, while 46 per cent disagreed.

The provincial government is expected to introduce the policies as legislation on Thursday.