New Brunswick activist, mother and TV personality Faytene Grasseschi is launching a campaign in support of Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs and his new parental rights policy.
The Don’t Delete Parents campaign also calls on the New Brunswick government to implement school choice – a policy that has been implemented in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec.
Earlier this month, the New Brunswick government announced changes to education policy 713, which included a new requirement for children under the age of 16 to get parental consent before they can officially change their name or pronouns at school.
The policy has caused outrage among trans activists and supporters of gender ideology, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Liberal politicians.
Some Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick have also come out against the policy change. Two cabinet ministers resigned over the ordeal, and 26 riding presidents submitted letters to initiate a leadership review.
The internal revolt concerns Grasseschi.
“We need to organize to support him,” she said in an email to True North. “If his political career falls over this, it will send a message to elected officials nationwide that standing with parents is political suicide.”
Grasseschi’s campaign is built around three goals; supporting Premier Higgs, not deleting parents and implementing school choice.
“We pledge to support Premier Blaine Higgs in his strong stand in support of parents and families. We pledge to promote the common sense principle that parents should never be deleted from a child’s life by the government. We pledge to promote the common sense principle that a family’s tax dollars should go to supporting their child’s education directly,” reads the campaign website.
The Don’t Delete Parents campaign also has three calls to action; signing a pro-Higgs petition, emailing New Brunswick MLAs and sending the Premier a message of support.
“It is time for us to launch a grassroots movement in New Brunswick of parents that will support The Hon. Blaine Higgs in his stand for families,” says Grasseschi.
“Parents should be the first to be informed on any topic related to their child’s health and well-being.”
Grasseschi is not the only one rallying behind Higgs. Pro-Life group RightNow has also started a petition in support of the New Brunsick premier.
“The media and establishment Conservatives want to get rid of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs for protecting vulnerable children and defending parental rights,” says RightNow. “We need to make sure we show him that we will support and defend him both publicly and if there’s a leadership review in the PC Party of New Brunswick.”
Higgs continues to stand firmly in defence of his parental rights policy.
In an interview with CBC’s Power and Politics Tuesday, the premier stated that “parents need to have a voice” and insisted he’s taking “a balanced approach.” He added that he’s received “a tremendous outpouring of support” for his position.
Higgs has also said he’s prepared to call an election over the policy, and that he is fine with putting his career at stake to support parents.
“As a father and a grandfather, I don’t think there is anything more important than the role and responsibility of a parent in raising their children. As a province, our future is the next generation. That is worth standing up for,” said Higgs.
A Leger poll commissioned by SecondStreet.org found that 69% of Maritimers and 57% of Canadians agree that schools should make parents aware that their kids are wishing to change genders or pronouns.
Support for the latter was higher among those with kids in their household, compared to those without kids.
Grasseschi is the founder of 4MyCanada, an organization that “works to keep Canadians up to date on national items of interest and gives direction on how they can use their time, talent and influence to effect positive change.”
She is also the host of Faytene TV, a show “speaking directly to the issues shaping Canada.”
