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The Manitoba premier has also pledged to make it an election issue in a looming runoff there.
A newly released Angus Reid poll now suggests Canadians are divided on what level of parental involvement is necessary when it comes to children’s preferred identification.
A total of 78 per cent of Canadians polled suggest parents should be informed by schools if their child wants to change their name or pronoun.
That said, 43 per cent said parents should be informed and must give consent if a child wants to change how they identify.
That’s as 35 per cent feel that parents should be made aware of any changes that are happening at the school, but the changes should not require parental consent.
Roughly 14 per cent of Canadians polled say that the parent should have no role in the decision.
A remaining eight per cent were undecided.
The data also showed some discrepancies depending on demographics.
Canadians polled who currently have children younger than 18 feel more strongly about consent than those without school-aged children, 48 per cent compared to 41 per cent.
Meanwhile, younger people, those between the age of 18 and 24, were twice as likely to say parents should have no say whatsoever in this decision.
They were three times as likely as those older than 64 years of age.
A provincial and regional breakdown also shows varying opinion levels.
Saskatchewan, 50 per cent, and Manitoba, 49 per cent, recorded the highest levels of support for a policy that requires informing parents and parental consent.
It was lowest in Atlantic Canada, 34 per cent, although the provinces were grouped together in the poll with a sample size of 307 surveyed.
Angus Reid suggests the result corresponds to political leaning, with those who supported the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2021 federal election being twice as likely as past Liberal voters and three times as likely as past NDP voters to say parents’ consent is needed.
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from July 26 to 31 among a representative randomized sample of 3,016 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum.
A probability sample of this size carries a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points, 95 times out of 100.
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