Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says parents must be “fully involved” if a student wants to change their gender identity or pronouns at school, but stopped short of committing to a formal policy or legislation.

“Parents must be fully involved and fully aware of what’s happening in the life of their children. I mean, often there are health implications,” Mr. Lecce said at an Aug. 28 press conference, in response to a question about whether Ontario will bring in parental inclusion policies similar to those announced in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.

“I think we have to respect the rights of parents, recognizing that these can be life-changing decisions,” said the education minister. “I think parents want to be involved so that they can support their kids, and I think that’s a really important principle that we must uphold.”

Both Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have brought in policies upholding parental rights and requiring schools to seek permission from parents or guardians to change a child’s preferred name and pronouns used at school if they are under the age of 16.