N.B. Conservative Candidate Faces Backlash for Comparing LGBTQ Policy to Residential Schools
Sherry Wilson's controversial Facebook post draws calls for her withdrawal from the election campaign.
- Sherry Wilson, a Progressive Conservative candidate in New Brunswick, compared the province's former gender identity policy to the residential school system.
- Wilson's post argued that isolating children from parental oversight was a key factor in the residential school system, drawing a parallel to the original Policy 713.
- Policy 713 allowed teachers to use the preferred names and pronouns of trans and non-binary students without parental consent, a guideline modified in 2023 to require parental approval for students under 16.
- Pabineau First Nation Chief Terry Richardson and Green Party deputy leader Megan Mitton have called for Wilson's removal as a candidate, labeling her comments as 'abhorrent' and 'indefensible.'
- Premier Blaine Higgs stated that Wilson's post 'missed the mark' but has not removed her as a candidate, citing the withdrawal of the post as sufficient.