Juno News - New Brunswick’s fight for parental rights (feat. Faytene Grasseschi)

00:00:00.000 Last month, New Brunswick's Conservative government, under the leadership of Premier Lane Higgs, announced changes to Education Policy 713 to, among other things, require parental consent from children under the age of 16 in order for them to change their name or pronouns at school.

00:00:24.480 And while 69% of Maritimers and 57% of Canadians share the same view on gender identity as the New Brunswick government, trans activists do not.

00:00:38.560 These activists, along with Liberal politicians like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have denounced Higgs' parental rights policy as transphobic.

00:00:48.400 Premier Higgs is also facing opposition from some progressive Conservatives in the province of New Brunswick.

00:00:55.520 Cabinet Ministers Dorothy Shepard and Trevor Holder have resigned from Cabinet following the policy change, and PC writing presidents have filed paperwork in a first step to initiate a leadership review.

00:01:08.980 In response to the turmoil from the Big C Conservative establishment, parents are standing up and showing their support for Premier Higgs and his parental rights policy.

00:01:20.440 Today, I will be speaking with New Brunswick mother, Fetine Grzeski.

00:01:25.100 You may know her from her TV show, Fetine TV.

00:01:28.420 Fetine Grzeski has started a campaign called Don't Delete Parents, which has three goals.

00:01:35.060 Supporting Premier Higgs, respecting parental rights, and advocating for the implementation of school choice, a policy that has already been implemented in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec.

00:01:51.120 But before we get started, please remember to drop a like on this video and subscribe to True North if you haven't already.

00:01:59.480 Well, Fetine, thank you so much for joining me today.

00:02:02.600 Hey, Eli, good to be with you.

00:02:05.060 So we're going to talk about your campaign in a moment.

00:02:07.980 But first, we don't often hear about Conservative parties and Conservative governments in Atlantic Canada, even though there are three out of four provinces that are governed by one.

00:02:18.140 Many expected Alberta or Saskatchewan to be the first to stand up for parents amid rampant gender ideology in schools.

00:02:26.420 So why do you think it was New Brunswick, under the leadership of Blaine Higgs, that decided to take a lead on this?

00:02:33.620 Well, I think it was just the policy was up for vote, up for debate, and there were concerns raised about Policy 713.

00:02:41.060 And so the amendment came forward by the Minister of Education to ensure that parents would not be deleted from the lives of their children.

00:02:50.080 And so I think the reason it came up first here conversational is just because it came up first in the legislative docket.

00:02:57.780 And yeah, and we're really grateful for the common sense that our premier is demonstrating with this.

00:03:04.580 And there are many, to be honest.

00:03:07.080 I was at a political rally on Monday night.

00:03:09.700 It was actually with Pierre Polyev down in the right in the heart of St. John.

00:03:13.640 It was packed out.

00:03:15.520 And to be honest, the greatest applause, I think, arguably the greatest applause came when he gave Blaine Higgs a shout out and said,

00:03:22.880 hey, want to give Blaine Higgs a shout out?

00:03:24.320 It wasn't on this issue.

00:03:25.220 But everybody in the room knew that that extended roar of applause for Premier Blaine Higgs was because of his common sense stance on this issue right now,

00:03:36.940 because it's the one that's front and center, right?

00:03:40.820 Yeah, absolutely.

00:03:42.460 How about you tell us a bit about your Don't Delete Parents campaign now?

00:03:46.280 Why did you start it and what you're trying to achieve?

00:03:48.940 Yeah, well, I want to say as well, even though I'm known sort of nationally, maybe for my TV show and the work that we've done in Parliament,

00:03:56.620 this is actually my writing.

00:03:58.660 Blaine Higgs is my personal MLA.

00:04:01.600 He's not just my premier.

00:04:02.820 He is my MLA.

00:04:04.320 I've met with him before on other issues related to our family, medical care and all that type of stuff.

00:04:09.880 And so I know him personally in this lens right in my personal backyard.

00:04:13.720 I have kids.

00:04:14.860 I have a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old, right?

00:04:17.320 So this is me.

00:04:19.620 This isn't just feiting the TV show host.

00:04:21.740 This is feiting the mom, right?

00:04:24.500 And so I just believe, I've been around long enough to know that when you have leaders that stick their neck out on cultural hot topics that you care about,

00:04:35.100 when you finally find a leader that has courage and is bringing stuff forward with common sense and compassion,

00:04:41.660 you know that he's paying a price.

00:04:43.320 And I know you covered this in your article, Eli, that two cabinet ministers have stepped down.

00:04:49.880 There is a call for a leadership review.

00:04:52.300 And of course, people are citing different things like his leadership style.

00:04:55.200 But everybody knows that this was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of him saying,

00:05:00.640 hey, I'm going to make a decision on this and I'm going to stand with parents.

00:05:04.500 And you know what?

00:05:05.200 Most New Brunswickers actually appreciate him in his leadership on this particular issue.

00:05:10.720 And so he could go to a leadership review on this.

00:05:14.620 And so Don't Delete Parents is actually very simple.

00:05:17.840 It's a website, don'tdeleteparents.ca.

00:05:20.600 And this is a communication hub for those of us, not just in the province, but nationwide,

00:05:27.100 that want to show our appreciation for Premier Blaine Higgs and stand with him in support of his gracious stance with parents.

00:05:37.680 And also to stand with the many others that are on the same page.

00:05:42.420 And so we put together the website.

00:05:44.360 There's three primary goals that are stated on the website.

00:05:48.040 Number one, support Blaine Higgs.

00:05:49.480 We have a petition.

00:05:50.800 People can sign that petition.

00:05:52.080 Every time we get 5,000 signatures, we're going to actually physically print the petition off.

00:05:58.120 We're going to send the names and the postal codes.

00:06:01.100 We're not going to give people's personal information out, just the postal code,

00:06:04.600 so they know where these names are coming from.

00:06:06.740 And we're going to send a message that not only do parents in New Brunswick care about this issue

00:06:12.300 and appreciate the strong stance that Higgs is making, but that parents nationwide,

00:06:18.260 that Canadians nationwide are watching this.

00:06:20.860 And I do want to say this, Eli, it doesn't take a sharp pencil to understand that this is precedent setting,

00:06:28.560 that if Premier Blaine Higgs is politically assassinated, so to speak, over this particular issue,

00:06:35.680 that will send a signal to elected officials nationwide, federally, provincial, and municipally,

00:06:42.840 that when you stand with parents, be prepared that you could lose your job

00:06:47.520 and you're probably going to pay a price with your career.

00:06:51.880 Some elected officials will say, I don't care.

00:06:55.460 You know, I'm going to stand with parents regardless.

00:06:57.100 Others will say, no way, Jose, that's too big of a price for me to pay.

00:07:00.220 But I want to say this, if Premier Blaine Higgs has a positive outcome, if the support is there,

00:07:09.040 if this goes to a leadership review, his leadership comes under review,

00:07:13.040 and it goes to a vote with the membership, and he wins, and better yet, and he wins overwhelmingly,

00:07:18.760 that is going to be a message to Premier Scott Moe, that is going to be a message to Doug Ford,

00:07:25.440 that is going to be a message to Danielle Smith, that's going to be a message to Premiers nationwide,

00:07:31.000 particularly in these conservative provinces and jurisdictions, that when you stand with parents,

00:07:37.280 it's a good move.

00:07:39.120 It's a good move in terms of principle,

00:07:41.420 but it's also a good move in terms of your political career, you know,

00:07:45.660 because these are all things that come into the mix to determine whether or not a leader is going to stand.

00:07:51.520 And so, you know, we wish everybody was 100% principle, right?

00:07:54.680 But that's just not reality.

00:07:56.800 And so we need to send a message to our elected officials

00:07:59.980 that if you stand with us and the things we care about, you will be rewarded.

00:08:06.780 And so don'tdeleteparents.ca.

00:08:09.200 Again, you can go to that website, you can sign the petition,

00:08:12.180 there's some other action points there, all the emails for the MLAs here in New Brunswick,

00:08:17.300 and anybody, some people have said, well, that's kind of the New Brunswick issue.

00:08:20.480 No, anyone from across Canada, you know, email on this one, send the message.

00:08:25.840 And then there are some other conversation points on the website as well,

00:08:28.960 about promoting the value that parents should never be deleted from the lives of their children

00:08:34.140 on any level, you know, mental health, physical health,

00:08:37.260 you know, if my child's having seizures at school, I should be the first one that's called.

00:08:41.580 If my child is showing suicidal tendencies at school, I should be the first one that's called.

00:08:46.520 If my child is making a life-altering decision around their sexual identity,

00:08:51.520 I should be the first one that's called.

00:08:53.460 Why?

00:08:53.860 Because I love my child, and I brought my child into this world, I fed them with my own body,

00:09:01.180 and I deserve to be informed on these important issues of health and well-being.

00:09:08.420 So that tenant's there.

00:09:10.180 And then the other, the last thing that people will see when they go to don'tdeleteparents.ca

00:09:14.220 is that we're encouraging our leaders to consider implementing policies

00:09:18.000 that the money will follow the family.

00:09:21.300 So if at some point, you know, Robert and myself decide, as we actually have,

00:09:26.280 that it's better for our children to have an alternative form of schooling

00:09:31.300 rather than the public school system, that the money should follow us.

00:09:36.420 It should follow our educational choice, whether that's homeschooling,

00:09:39.820 whether that's private school, whether that's a Montessori system,

00:09:43.400 or whether that's the public school, should the public school have my confidence.

00:09:47.900 And so it's our hard-earned money.

00:09:50.180 It needs to follow our family rather than a system that might possibly be failing us,

00:09:54.760 and worse yet, separating us from our children through passive-aggressive policies

00:10:01.180 that divide parents and their children.

00:10:03.360 So yeah, so basically that is the bottom line.

00:10:06.680 Don'tdeleteparents.ca.

00:10:08.400 A, people can go there and sign.

00:10:11.600 And again, I want to emphasize from anywhere in Canada,

00:10:15.320 because even though this is a provincially-based scenario right now,

00:10:19.680 it will have an impact.

00:10:21.100 People all over Canada, premiers all over Canada right now,

00:10:23.800 are watching how Blaine Higgs is going to do with this one.

00:10:27.860 So it really matters.

00:10:29.920 Well, I agree that there is a great consequence,

00:10:33.200 how it goes either way.

00:10:34.660 It can either be a win for parents,

00:10:36.920 it can either be a loss.

00:10:37.940 I like that you touched on school choice.

00:10:40.120 I'm a big advocate of school choice.

00:10:41.640 I've written a column recently about school choices.

00:10:44.180 As a graduate of a private school, I'm a big fan of it,

00:10:48.560 and it's worked in several provinces,

00:10:50.680 and I think it should be implemented nationwide.

00:10:53.900 So you launched a website with the petition last week.

00:10:58.200 What's the response been so far?

00:10:59.920 Are you getting good local support for your initiative?

00:11:04.000 You know, right out of the gate,

00:11:05.080 I just put it on my personal Facebook wall,

00:11:07.600 and then it's being administratively sort of organized

00:11:11.360 through the nonprofit organization that I work with for my Canada.

00:11:15.140 And so we pushed it out through our email list,

00:11:17.940 and we were getting in the first couple days,

00:11:20.060 we were getting about 100 signatures an hour.

00:11:22.540 So it was actually just flying.

00:11:24.480 The last couple days, it's throttled down a little bit.

00:11:27.580 I'm not sure if it's being pushed down in the algorithms on social media

00:11:30.860 or something like that.

00:11:32.320 We'll find out.

00:11:33.080 Maybe C11 has something to do with that.

00:11:35.520 We'll see.

00:11:36.520 Only the guys up there know on that one.

00:11:39.340 But just to say this,

00:11:41.400 that we appreciate you shedding the spotlight on it right now

00:11:44.440 because we want to see, you know, like I said,

00:11:46.960 every time we hit another 5,000, excuse me,

00:11:49.840 we're going to be sending it off to our leaders again.

00:11:52.560 So we would appreciate people not only going there,

00:11:56.460 but sharing it with their spheres of influence

00:11:58.980 that they know care about this issue.

00:12:01.860 Right, for sure.

00:12:03.660 So, you know, to me, it wasn't surprising

00:12:05.520 when the trans activists and the liberals

00:12:07.860 came out against this policy

00:12:09.980 because they tend to support gender ideology

00:12:12.960 and this idea that schools can be better than parents.

00:12:17.240 What I was disappointed with

00:12:19.080 was seeing people who call themselves conservatives

00:12:21.660 come out against this policy.

00:12:24.120 And as you mentioned,

00:12:25.200 there have been resignations of two cabinet ministers

00:12:28.280 following the policy.

00:12:31.080 There were several who voted with the liberals

00:12:33.380 on an anti-policy 713 motion in the legislature.

00:12:37.860 And now there's the effort on the way

00:12:39.440 to review Premier Higgs' leadership.

00:12:42.820 Why do you think some conservatives

00:12:45.360 are opposed to a policy that for many people

00:12:49.220 is very common sense and very uncontroversial?

00:12:54.240 Yeah, I think just because of the political vitriol

00:12:57.460 really around it in terms of those

00:13:00.560 that don't want parents to be engaged

00:13:04.660 with their children on this particular issue.

00:13:07.120 They want to support, push their agenda.

00:13:10.720 They want to separate children 0.86

00:13:13.280 from their parents on this particular issue.

00:13:17.380 They're branding parents as being dangerous, 0.91

00:13:20.000 which is an absolute ludicrous statement.

00:13:23.400 You know, most parents in our nation 0.88

00:13:25.500 are loving, kind, caring, responsible humans.

00:13:30.120 And parents need our support,

00:13:32.140 not our patronization.

00:13:34.960 And so there is a lot of political vitriol, though,

00:13:38.140 around it because of the movements

00:13:40.480 that are pushing these types of things. 0.51

00:13:42.100 And we know that.

00:13:42.820 And so, you know, I think sometimes

00:13:44.960 when you're an elected official,

00:13:46.660 unfortunately, you live in the headwinds

00:13:49.580 of that pressure all the time.

00:13:51.400 And obviously, that wears.

00:13:54.660 And sometimes it's just in the midst

00:13:56.860 of that political pressure,

00:13:57.880 it's hard to keep that clarity.

00:14:00.180 But that's where I think parents need

00:14:02.460 to just remind our elected officials,

00:14:04.800 like, hey, what are you really doing here?

00:14:08.140 Like, what are you really saying?

00:14:09.860 Are you saying that it is okay

00:14:12.620 for the government to separate

00:14:14.440 a loving parent from the life of their child?

00:14:18.180 Is that what you're saying?

00:14:19.220 Because, and I want to say this,

00:14:20.780 and I know this could be a controversial thing

00:14:22.600 to say for some people,

00:14:23.760 but is this not a repeat of the ideology

00:14:26.720 of the residential school systems

00:14:28.640 where the governing officials of the day said,

00:14:33.280 hey, the indigenous parents aren't fit. 1.00

00:14:37.580 You know, they're not, 0.98

00:14:38.500 we need to take the Indian out of the Indian. 1.00

00:14:40.540 So we, as the government,

00:14:41.720 are going to step in between parents

00:14:44.820 and the children.

00:14:46.400 We're going to step in between

00:14:47.440 because we know better.

00:14:48.680 That arguably was the most damaging ideology

00:14:55.220 that our, has been the most damaging ideology

00:14:58.540 that our nation has ever seen

00:14:59.960 in terms of the devastation to generations.

00:15:04.260 You know, and, you know,

00:15:06.640 we're just going through, you know,

00:15:08.140 just trying to grapple with how to make that right.

00:15:11.760 You know, many of our indigenous brothers

00:15:13.860 and sisters are just getting back on their feet now 1.00

00:15:17.380 in terms of finding themselves again.

00:15:19.960 And, and here we are with the exact same ideology

00:15:23.440 with a different, different makeup on,

00:15:26.940 but basically saying it's okay

00:15:29.480 for the government to step in between.

00:15:31.900 And I don't know what would cause a conservative

00:15:35.560 or liberal or NDP or green or block

00:15:38.960 or anybody who is an elected official

00:15:42.320 to think that that's okay.

00:15:45.340 But we, as, as those who see it for what it is,

00:15:49.980 need to, to really be diligent right now

00:15:52.920 with, with love, with kindness.

00:15:54.780 I'm not telling anybody to be mean or nasty about it,

00:15:58.060 but just say, hey, actually this, this isn't okay.

00:16:02.400 It's not okay for the government to step in between.

00:16:05.380 And, and this is a line that,

00:16:07.380 that we will not allow to be crossed 0.96

00:16:09.660 because we love our kids

00:16:11.300 and no one loves our kids like we do.

00:16:13.680 So I, I'm, I'm over, over talking here on that one,

00:16:17.420 but just to say,

00:16:18.260 I think it's just the political pressure that hits Eli.

00:16:22.080 But we can give a counter pressure

00:16:24.820 by bringing a strong emphasis

00:16:27.200 that is common sense to support parents and families.

00:16:30.700 And when you support parents, you support children.

00:16:33.660 Right.

00:16:34.140 Right. Um, I do want to kind of play devil's advocate.

00:16:37.480 Uh, some of these activists who oppose the policy,

00:16:41.060 they say that gender dysphoric children

00:16:43.640 will be required to out themselves

00:16:45.800 to potentially unsupportive parents.

00:16:48.300 And as you mentioned,

00:16:49.760 most parents do love their children.

00:16:51.420 And I think, uh, a lot of the times when,

00:16:54.260 when, uh, kids, whether they're gay

00:16:56.580 or they're, they end up becoming transgender,

00:16:59.100 there, there, there's more fear about coming out.

00:17:02.220 And when they come out, they actually realize

00:17:03.600 that their parents, their parents love them.

00:17:05.380 That's not of course everybody,

00:17:06.640 but there's that aspect as well.

00:17:08.420 But there are a very small minority of parents

00:17:11.940 that are abusive.

00:17:12.900 There are kids who may have grown up in a family

00:17:15.460 where there's often comments, uh,

00:17:18.140 about how the parents don't like transgenders.

00:17:20.420 For example, uh, I know that the policy

00:17:23.880 has a pretty comprehensive way of,

00:17:25.980 of dealing with kids that maybe aren't ready yet

00:17:28.180 to talk to their parents about this,

00:17:29.980 but what would you have to say to someone

00:17:33.580 who, who has this concern?

00:17:34.940 Maybe they have a lived experience themselves

00:17:37.420 as someone with gender dysphoria

00:17:39.180 or that they know someone with gender dysphoria

00:17:41.220 that had this experience,

00:17:42.420 uh, and they don't feel comfortable,

00:17:45.100 uh, coming up to their parents,

00:17:47.260 but would like their gender identity

00:17:49.900 to be affirmed at school.

00:17:51.020 Yeah, well, you know, there's a,

00:17:55.340 there's a, a phrase that says,

00:17:58.040 love believes the best, right?

00:18:00.340 And I think we need to cultivate a system

00:18:03.780 that believes the best about parents.

00:18:07.340 And, and this is the duty of legislators

00:18:09.960 that they need to sit down

00:18:11.420 and they have to grapple with,

00:18:12.660 obviously the worst case scenario suggestions,

00:18:15.080 like our questions, like, okay,

00:18:16.740 what do you do if you have a situation

00:18:19.740 that is, is really tough for a child?

00:18:22.940 And I, and I think there's solutions.

00:18:24.520 It's like, that's where you have,

00:18:26.440 you have counselors, you have moderators,

00:18:28.360 you have ones that bring the parents

00:18:30.780 and the child together

00:18:32.060 and, and create a safe environment

00:18:35.800 for the children, if that's the case.

00:18:38.940 But, you know, so create those mechanisms

00:18:41.860 of safety for the children,

00:18:43.600 but don't delete parents

00:18:45.220 from their child's life.

00:18:46.820 And don't assume every parent is a villain.

00:18:49.740 I am not a villain.

00:18:51.860 Your parents were not villains.

00:18:54.000 Like most parents are not villains.

00:18:58.020 And we need to,

00:18:59.980 we need to make sure

00:19:02.940 that we're supporting good parents

00:19:04.740 rather than just playing,

00:19:06.640 playing defense against parents

00:19:10.500 who are actually amazing, you know?

00:19:12.360 And so I think there's a way

00:19:14.300 to protect children.

00:19:15.420 And in these, these,

00:19:18.520 these cases that you're talking about

00:19:20.780 to create a place for safe dialogue for them.

00:19:24.400 And I think this is what our legislators

00:19:25.760 have the responsibility to figure out.

00:19:28.180 But good legislation

00:19:30.620 will look at the whole

00:19:32.320 and say, okay, we have,

00:19:34.660 you know, in this writing here,

00:19:35.640 we have 80,000 parents

00:19:37.060 that we need to consider.

00:19:38.000 Most of them are loving,

00:19:41.200 kind, generous,

00:19:43.780 engaged parents

00:19:44.740 that simply want the best

00:19:45.940 for their children.

00:19:47.340 And so how do we make a system

00:19:48.600 that works for everybody?

00:19:49.720 Because love truly does believe the best.

00:19:53.000 Right.

00:19:53.220 And I think I would add to that,

00:19:54.420 these 80,000 parents,

00:19:55.800 if that's the number,

00:19:58.100 why should...

00:19:58.940 Not 80,000 parents,

00:19:59.900 80,000, you know, residents.

00:20:01.600 Yeah, but like why a good,

00:20:02.960 good thing to add to that,

00:20:04.180 I think too,

00:20:04.600 is why should all these good parents

00:20:06.560 be misled and be deceived

00:20:09.200 at the expense of a few

00:20:10.840 when you can instead, again,

00:20:12.320 have this comprehensive system,

00:20:15.780 understanding that

00:20:16.780 this is not a black and white issue

00:20:19.560 and that the solution

00:20:20.780 is more down the middle

00:20:21.900 where we can respect parental authority

00:20:23.740 while protecting kids

00:20:25.320 who may be in abusive situation.

00:20:27.520 And unfortunately,

00:20:28.000 I feel like the dialogue

00:20:29.660 often times on this issue,

00:20:33.460 the gender issue,

00:20:34.220 tends to be very polarized.

00:20:35.820 And sometimes we don't have

00:20:37.300 this nice message of love.

00:20:39.120 Instead, we have, you know,

00:20:40.080 one side claiming 0.65

00:20:40.900 the other wants them dead

00:20:42.640 and then the other claiming 0.99

00:20:43.680 that the other side are groomers.

00:20:45.420 I don't think you really

00:20:46.700 get anywhere productive

00:20:48.220 when you have just these accusations

00:20:50.660 and this black and white.

00:20:52.960 So I really appreciate

00:20:54.300 your answer there.

00:20:56.260 As mentioned earlier,

00:20:57.400 there are attempts

00:20:58.760 to review Higgs's leadership

00:21:00.840 and he's even said

00:21:01.600 he's willing to go

00:21:02.400 to an election over this.

00:21:05.520 What do you see happening

00:21:07.420 in the next weeks or months

00:21:09.520 regarding this issue?

00:21:11.320 And do you think Higgs

00:21:12.680 will end up being victorious

00:21:14.400 and on the right side of history

00:21:16.460 when it comes to the issue

00:21:17.620 of parental rights?

00:21:19.920 Well, I think the ultimate answer

00:21:21.440 to that is up to your viewers,

00:21:24.200 you know, up to people

00:21:24.940 that care about this issue, right?

00:21:27.280 Like the nation goes

00:21:28.160 to those who show up.

00:21:29.780 The province goes

00:21:30.880 to those who show up.

00:21:31.880 But where things are at right now

00:21:33.900 is a review has been requested.

00:21:36.300 A leadership review

00:21:36.940 has been requested

00:21:37.900 by enough EDAs

00:21:41.820 or jurisdictions

00:21:42.860 within the provincial construct here

00:21:45.600 for these.

00:21:46.500 There's a protocol

00:21:47.720 to how these things happen.

00:21:48.860 So the first stage

00:21:50.280 has been passed.

00:21:51.320 Now things need to be passed

00:21:53.180 at the next level,

00:21:54.160 which is the provincial tier.

00:21:56.400 And if it goes through that level,

00:21:58.640 if the request

00:21:59.840 for a leadership review

00:22:00.780 passes the next phase,

00:22:02.460 then what will happen

00:22:03.480 is it will go to the members.

00:22:04.880 So that means everybody

00:22:05.840 who has an active member

00:22:07.300 who's a resident

00:22:08.200 in New Brunswick

00:22:09.720 who has an active member

00:22:11.140 of the Provincial Conservative Party

00:22:14.100 of Canada,

00:22:15.060 they will be able to vote.

00:22:16.800 And my gut sense is,

00:22:19.340 honestly,

00:22:20.380 if people, you know,

00:22:22.240 are catching

00:22:23.220 what's happening here,

00:22:24.140 my gut sense is that

00:22:25.180 if this goes to a vote

00:22:26.240 with the members

00:22:26.920 that he's going to win.

00:22:28.600 I think he's going to win.

00:22:29.840 I think the people

00:22:30.360 that are trying to oust him

00:22:31.400 are probably going to walk away

00:22:32.660 with some egg on their face

00:22:33.880 on this one

00:22:34.500 because they've picked

00:22:35.300 the wrong issue.

00:22:37.980 There's too many parents

00:22:39.480 that are waking up

00:22:41.960 that love their kids.

00:22:43.680 Like I said,

00:22:44.360 they are not bad people.

00:22:46.800 They love their kids.

00:22:49.100 And this is a line,

00:22:51.280 you know,

00:22:51.540 when you start to mess

00:22:52.980 with what is most precious to us

00:22:55.680 and that is our children,

00:22:57.240 that's where people

00:22:58.080 start to get involved

00:22:58.920 that in the past

00:22:59.720 maybe haven't been involved.

00:23:00.820 They didn't even know

00:23:01.400 what a membership was

00:23:02.420 in the New Brunswick party,

00:23:04.120 you know,

00:23:04.840 Conservative Party.

00:23:05.720 And so if it does go to a vote

00:23:06.800 with the members,

00:23:07.360 I think he'll probably win.

00:23:08.940 But that's only if,

00:23:10.260 you know,

00:23:11.120 if people like your viewers

00:23:12.440 who are watching this

00:23:13.260 from New Brunswick

00:23:14.080 are awake to what's happening

00:23:16.140 and taking action.

00:23:17.480 So I'll do my part

00:23:18.580 to make sure

00:23:19.300 that people are educated.

00:23:21.060 And absolutely.

00:23:21.960 And there was some polling

00:23:23.000 done by Second Street

00:23:24.100 and they saw that 69%

00:23:25.760 of Maritimers agree

00:23:27.040 with Higgs

00:23:27.600 on gender identity

00:23:29.760 and 57% of Canadians.

00:23:32.320 Because again,

00:23:33.040 I think for most people,

00:23:34.680 the left is trying

00:23:36.000 to make this

00:23:36.580 about transgender dignity.

00:23:39.140 And for most people,

00:23:40.020 it has nothing to do with that.

00:23:41.280 It has to do

00:23:41.740 with respecting parents.

00:23:43.280 It's about

00:23:44.200 not deceiving parents.

00:23:45.660 I mean,

00:23:45.800 you need parental consent

00:23:47.140 for your kid

00:23:47.700 to go on a field trip.

00:23:48.980 You need parental consent

00:23:49.860 at my school.

00:23:50.780 You needed parental consent

00:23:51.780 to be for your photos

00:23:52.920 to be put on the school's

00:23:53.920 Facebook page.

00:23:54.840 You need parental consent

00:23:56.180 for to take an Advil

00:23:58.660 or a Tylenol

00:23:59.460 when you're feeling sick.

00:24:01.500 Yet somehow

00:24:01.940 you don't need parental consent

00:24:03.660 for a kid under 16.

00:24:05.120 So 16 and 17-year-olds

00:24:06.820 who have the age of consent 0.74

00:24:08.400 can do whatever they want.

00:24:09.460 But for let's say

00:24:10.680 a six or seven-year-old child

00:24:12.380 to be able to change

00:24:13.440 their name and their gender

00:24:14.560 and possibly refer

00:24:15.920 to gender affirming

00:24:17.040 like a counselor

00:24:18.500 as a clinician

00:24:19.100 without their parents knowing.

00:24:20.700 I mean,

00:24:21.340 I think that's the issue.

00:24:23.260 The issue is not about

00:24:24.200 supporting gender dysphoric kids.

00:24:26.200 The issue is about hiding

00:24:27.400 the information from parents.

00:24:29.180 And we know parents

00:24:29.780 love their children

00:24:30.640 and parents won't put up

00:24:32.540 with this idea

00:24:33.480 that these are not

00:24:34.540 your children.

00:24:35.380 They're our children.

00:24:36.520 They're the state's children

00:24:37.460 because that's simply not true.

00:24:40.500 I do want to share...

00:24:41.160 And not only that,

00:24:42.660 Eli,

00:24:42.860 I want to say this.

00:24:43.620 It's not only that

00:24:44.160 it's our children,

00:24:44.920 which it is,

00:24:45.640 but it's also our money.

00:24:47.980 We're the ones

00:24:48.660 that pay the salary

00:24:49.600 of the teachers.

00:24:50.720 We're the ones

00:24:51.500 that pay the salary

00:24:53.040 of the elected officials.

00:24:54.680 So it's our children

00:24:55.880 and it's also our money.

00:24:57.740 And so to delete

00:24:58.780 the voices of parents

00:25:00.960 is just...

00:25:01.880 It is so off base.

00:25:04.520 And it just needs

00:25:05.660 to be called

00:25:06.480 for what it is.

00:25:07.000 And I appreciate

00:25:07.800 what you said there,

00:25:08.540 that this actually

00:25:09.120 isn't about gender identity.

00:25:10.620 It's about parents.

00:25:12.660 And the other thing is

00:25:13.860 that this could be

00:25:15.140 precedent-setting.

00:25:16.080 So I would sit here

00:25:17.120 as a parent and say,

00:25:17.980 okay, so if you're going

00:25:18.660 to delete me

00:25:19.560 from my child's life

00:25:20.960 in this area,

00:25:22.660 what other areas

00:25:24.060 are you going to delete me

00:25:25.760 from my child's life in?

00:25:27.240 If it's okay to do this

00:25:28.740 and is it okay to...

00:25:30.000 Again, I use the example

00:25:30.980 of the seizure.

00:25:31.800 Like, if my child

00:25:32.760 has a seizure,

00:25:33.600 like, is it okay

00:25:34.220 for you to let them

00:25:36.500 go have surgery, 0.86

00:25:37.680 you know,

00:25:38.040 to whatever it would be.

00:25:39.780 Like, if this is okay,

00:25:41.180 then what else is okay?

00:25:42.260 And so it's just

00:25:43.880 a really, really unhealthy

00:25:47.200 precedent to be setting

00:25:48.880 across the board.

00:25:50.560 Oh, I agree.

00:25:51.140 I think we've seen

00:25:52.100 time and time again

00:25:53.060 with the left

00:25:53.920 that their ideology

00:25:55.220 calls it slippery slopes

00:25:56.520 where there was one thing

00:25:58.140 and they said,

00:25:59.000 oh, no,

00:25:59.440 that's a slippery slope policy,

00:26:01.020 but yet the slippery slope

00:26:02.780 comes, ends up happening.

00:26:05.760 Switching to federal politics now,

00:26:08.080 I mean, education

00:26:08.820 is supposed to be

00:26:10.140 a provincial jurisdiction,

00:26:11.800 but Prime Minister

00:26:13.240 Justin Trudeau

00:26:14.100 and several members

00:26:15.100 of his cabinet

00:26:15.720 have made their opposition

00:26:16.940 to Policy 713 quite clear.

00:26:20.100 Trudeau even dismissed

00:26:21.120 parental rights

00:26:22.040 as far right.

00:26:23.620 So when Trudeau

00:26:26.060 got into the culture war

00:26:27.260 surrounding COVID

00:26:28.000 by mandating the vaccine

00:26:29.840 and vilifying the unvaccinated,

00:26:31.980 it did not end well for him.

00:26:33.780 There was the freedom convoy

00:26:35.480 and now wherever he goes,

00:26:37.020 he gets heckled quite brutally.

00:26:39.680 The Prime Minister

00:26:40.700 is now using

00:26:41.360 similar divisive rhetoric

00:26:42.840 when it comes

00:26:44.300 to the issue

00:26:44.960 of parental rights.

00:26:47.200 So where do you think

00:26:48.420 this will go for him?

00:26:49.380 Do you think Trudeau

00:26:50.240 is opening himself

00:26:51.100 to a reckoning

00:26:52.620 if he decides

00:26:53.860 to mess with parental rights?

00:26:57.540 Well, I think

00:26:58.400 I'd just like to start

00:26:59.200 by saying

00:27:00.440 it's definitely disheartening

00:27:01.860 to see, you know,

00:27:04.260 something that is

00:27:04.840 a legitimate concern

00:27:06.340 for the most important institution

00:27:09.020 in our nation

00:27:09.900 and that is

00:27:10.340 the family construct

00:27:11.640 to be, you know,

00:27:14.800 responded to in this way

00:27:15.960 with such a divisive style

00:27:17.800 of politics, right?

00:27:19.140 And I guess

00:27:20.780 I would just gently

00:27:21.580 edge back

00:27:22.220 and say, okay,

00:27:23.620 so if a parent

00:27:25.340 who wants to be active

00:27:26.420 in the life

00:27:26.920 of their child

00:27:27.820 is far right,

00:27:30.040 does that mean

00:27:30.920 that an Indigenous leader

00:27:32.780 who wants to be active

00:27:35.140 in the life

00:27:35.880 of their child

00:27:36.760 is, you know,

00:27:38.500 again,

00:27:38.780 going back to that

00:27:39.560 same mindset,

00:27:40.860 like why

00:27:41.340 in one case

00:27:43.600 are we apologizing

00:27:45.220 to our Indigenous fathers

00:27:47.280 and mothers

00:27:48.380 and on the other side

00:27:49.980 we're blaming,

00:27:51.600 labeling,

00:27:52.220 and shaming

00:27:52.540 because the reality

00:27:53.180 is if I can shame somebody,

00:27:56.140 if I can label somebody,

00:27:57.220 then I don't have

00:27:57.660 to listen to them,

00:27:59.200 right?

00:27:59.500 I don't have to consider,

00:28:01.100 if I can label you 0.99

00:28:02.340 a lunatic, 0.99

00:28:03.180 then I don't have to 0.97

00:28:03.880 actually have to

00:28:04.840 deeply consider

00:28:05.920 your heart,

00:28:07.840 your perspective,

00:28:09.420 your intellect,

00:28:10.900 right?

00:28:11.260 And so

00:28:11.700 it's quite disheartening

00:28:13.360 to see this tonality

00:28:15.280 and this response

00:28:16.360 from our political leaders

00:28:18.220 at times

00:28:19.060 and to be honest,

00:28:20.740 it can be across the board,

00:28:22.500 right?

00:28:22.680 Like just watch

00:28:23.400 Question Period

00:28:24.640 and Canadians

00:28:26.120 are watching Question Period

00:28:27.200 saying,

00:28:27.640 could somebody

00:28:28.120 just have a real debate?

00:28:29.560 Could somebody

00:28:29.980 just have a debate

00:28:31.580 where we're not

00:28:32.160 just labeling

00:28:33.300 and accusing

00:28:34.120 and trying to get

00:28:35.240 that soundbite in

00:28:36.360 that's going to win us

00:28:37.380 political points

00:28:38.300 because this is not

00:28:39.220 about political points.

00:28:41.240 This is about families.

00:28:42.400 This is about children.

00:28:44.500 This is about our future.

00:28:46.400 And so

00:28:46.900 I don't know

00:28:48.340 how this is going

00:28:49.080 to play out

00:28:49.840 for Justin Trudeau,

00:28:50.960 but I think Canadians

00:28:51.980 are getting really weary

00:28:53.420 of,

00:28:54.880 I would call it

00:28:55.580 kindergarten politics.

00:28:57.460 You know,

00:28:57.760 I think Canadians

00:28:58.520 are getting really weary

00:28:59.700 of it.

00:29:00.640 And I would just like

00:29:01.940 to call Justin Trudeau

00:29:03.380 and his Liberal Cabinet

00:29:04.500 just up a little bit higher

00:29:05.820 and just to say,

00:29:07.300 hey,

00:29:07.680 like,

00:29:08.000 you're smart people.

00:29:09.580 You're smart people.

00:29:10.520 You can have

00:29:12.140 an intelligent conversation

00:29:13.540 with parents

00:29:14.340 on this important issue

00:29:16.260 without blaming,

00:29:17.580 shaming,

00:29:18.120 and labeling them

00:29:19.300 with petty politics.

00:29:22.160 So

00:29:22.280 just believing

00:29:24.180 for

00:29:24.500 believing for sunny ways,

00:29:26.700 sunny days

00:29:27.300 on this one

00:29:28.020 that we can see

00:29:29.160 it turned in our

00:29:29.880 political culture.

00:29:31.860 Yeah,

00:29:32.080 it would be nice

00:29:32.700 to get those sunny ways

00:29:34.480 you promised

00:29:35.220 in 2015 indeed.

00:29:36.700 You know,

00:29:37.940 across in the House

00:29:38.700 of Commons

00:29:39.100 from Trudeau

00:29:39.940 is Pierre Polyev

00:29:41.100 and his Conservative Party

00:29:42.540 and they've taken

00:29:43.480 some slack

00:29:44.300 from the grassroots

00:29:45.760 for not tackling

00:29:47.380 parental rights

00:29:48.800 and, you know,

00:29:49.540 other issues

00:29:50.180 related maybe

00:29:50.820 to gender ideology.

00:29:53.180 Pierre did tell

00:29:54.420 Trudeau to butt

00:29:55.440 out of the New Brunswick

00:29:56.540 debate,

00:29:56.960 but it appeared

00:29:57.840 to be more

00:29:58.320 of a rationale

00:29:58.920 on provincial

00:30:00.620 jurisdiction

00:30:01.620 rather than,

00:30:03.360 you know,

00:30:03.580 a clear parental

00:30:04.580 rights stance.

00:30:07.280 Do you think

00:30:08.220 that federal

00:30:08.660 Conservatives

00:30:09.280 should do more

00:30:09.860 to promote

00:30:10.380 parental rights

00:30:11.400 in the face

00:30:11.900 of gender ideology

00:30:12.920 by, for example,

00:30:14.020 proposing a

00:30:14.780 national bill of rights?

00:30:16.280 I know this was

00:30:16.800 something that

00:30:17.400 Lesley Lewis

00:30:18.180 had advocated

00:30:19.160 for in the

00:30:19.880 leadership race.

00:30:21.900 Yeah,

00:30:22.180 you mean a national

00:30:23.120 bill of rights

00:30:24.580 for parents,

00:30:25.360 right?

00:30:25.780 For parents,

00:30:25.960 yeah.

00:30:26.820 No,

00:30:27.400 I think at this point

00:30:28.420 most parents

00:30:29.320 across our nation

00:30:30.000 would be very grateful

00:30:31.160 for such a piece

00:30:32.620 of work

00:30:33.820 in our Parliament

00:30:34.520 and,

00:30:35.300 you know,

00:30:35.880 I think,

00:30:36.860 again,

00:30:37.160 this comes back

00:30:37.980 on us.

00:30:39.280 It comes back

00:30:39.780 on the people

00:30:40.380 who care

00:30:41.080 because,

00:30:41.740 you know,

00:30:43.080 leaders are supposed

00:30:43.780 to lead,

00:30:44.380 like they're supposed

00:30:44.920 to have an opinion

00:30:45.680 and lead us somewhere.

00:30:47.080 That's why we call

00:30:47.860 them leaders,

00:30:48.720 but also a good

00:30:50.120 leader listens,

00:30:51.580 right?

00:30:51.820 A good leader

00:30:52.540 will sit at a table

00:30:53.600 of discourse

00:30:54.160 with other

00:30:54.800 intelligent people

00:30:55.960 and hash stuff out.

00:30:59.220 And so,

00:31:00.060 what I observe

00:31:01.040 with Pierre

00:31:01.880 right now,

00:31:02.360 and obviously

00:31:02.720 I'm not going

00:31:03.740 to speak for him

00:31:04.300 and I haven't

00:31:06.540 had a conversation

00:31:07.200 with him about this,

00:31:08.020 but I think

00:31:08.420 he's listening

00:31:09.160 right now.

00:31:10.300 I think he's

00:31:10.860 watching what's

00:31:11.900 going to happen

00:31:12.620 in New Brunswick.

00:31:14.360 And so,

00:31:14.780 I would say

00:31:15.260 to parents

00:31:15.880 and people

00:31:16.420 who care,

00:31:17.000 if you actually,

00:31:18.240 if you do care

00:31:19.200 about this

00:31:19.740 and you want

00:31:20.460 to see the

00:31:21.040 Conservatives,

00:31:23.120 not just the

00:31:23.840 Conservatives,

00:31:24.620 the Liberals,

00:31:25.360 the NDP,

00:31:26.260 everybody,

00:31:27.860 if you want

00:31:28.380 to see our

00:31:29.040 elected officials

00:31:30.120 reflect your

00:31:32.440 views and values

00:31:33.560 on this,

00:31:34.120 then make it

00:31:35.080 the thing.

00:31:37.020 Make it the thing

00:31:38.120 that's powerful

00:31:39.140 in Canada.

00:31:40.940 And,

00:31:41.260 you know,

00:31:42.300 we know that

00:31:43.040 Pierre Polyev

00:31:44.160 is,

00:31:44.880 you know,

00:31:45.760 an advocate

00:31:46.400 for freedoms.

00:31:47.620 He wants to make

00:31:48.220 Canada the freest

00:31:49.240 nation on the earth.

00:31:50.100 That's what he said

00:31:50.640 over and over again.

00:31:52.320 And so,

00:31:52.740 I think,

00:31:53.300 you know,

00:31:53.820 there's definitely

00:31:54.440 license to say,

00:31:55.520 hey,

00:31:55.760 this is one

00:31:56.320 of those opportunities.

00:31:57.320 But I think

00:31:58.320 our leaders

00:31:58.700 are watching us.

00:31:59.760 I think they're

00:32:00.200 watching us.

00:32:01.060 I think they're

00:32:01.500 watching,

00:32:02.220 you know,

00:32:03.680 what's the response

00:32:04.640 going to be on this

00:32:05.280 one?

00:32:05.480 How are people

00:32:05.980 going to vote?

00:32:06.680 And so,

00:32:07.660 if the mirror,

00:32:08.960 if the spotlight's

00:32:09.940 on us,

00:32:10.460 then I would say

00:32:11.060 let's shine.

00:32:12.220 Let's go and 0.93

00:32:13.980 absolutely blow up

00:32:15.180 don'tdeleteparents.ca.

00:32:16.420 Not literally.

00:32:17.100 I mean,

00:32:17.240 don't sabotage the site.

00:32:18.320 I mean,

00:32:18.560 let's have so many

00:32:19.560 people go sign

00:32:20.640 that petition

00:32:21.280 that,

00:32:22.340 you know,

00:32:22.580 this is the thing

00:32:23.420 that all of our

00:32:24.060 members of Parliament

00:32:25.120 and elected officials

00:32:26.100 want to be on the

00:32:27.020 side of because

00:32:28.060 it's the right

00:32:29.860 thing to do.

00:32:31.340 Right,

00:32:31.920 for sure.

00:32:32.300 And I do see

00:32:33.260 this becoming

00:32:34.900 an issue that

00:32:36.120 will,

00:32:37.100 you know,

00:32:37.400 if parents keep

00:32:38.600 standing up the

00:32:39.560 way those truckers

00:32:40.440 stood up and

00:32:41.320 their rights were

00:32:42.720 being violated,

00:32:43.580 there's a good

00:32:44.180 chance that this

00:32:44.800 will become the

00:32:45.520 next big issue.

00:32:47.360 But again,

00:32:47.900 it's all up to

00:32:49.020 the parents to

00:32:50.280 decide how big

00:32:52.320 they want this

00:32:52.960 to be.

00:32:54.180 So,

00:32:54.620 Fetine,

00:32:55.040 thank you.

00:32:55.640 And I'll say

00:32:56.100 too,

00:32:56.420 Eli,

00:32:56.840 it's up to

00:32:57.220 the people

00:32:57.580 like you

00:32:58.000 who will

00:32:58.420 be parents.

00:33:00.040 And I know

00:33:00.620 you're doing

00:33:01.280 this interview

00:33:01.700 with me right

00:33:02.300 now because

00:33:02.700 you care about

00:33:03.340 this issue,

00:33:03.940 but this is

00:33:04.780 one for all

00:33:05.380 of us,

00:33:05.900 right?

00:33:06.300 And freedom

00:33:06.880 does matter.

00:33:07.760 It matters

00:33:08.120 across the

00:33:08.660 board and

00:33:09.180 this is a

00:33:10.120 moment.

00:33:11.320 Right,

00:33:11.700 for sure.

00:33:12.300 Well,

00:33:12.540 Fetine,

00:33:12.900 thank you.

00:33:13.340 Thank you so

00:33:13.800 much for your

00:33:14.780 initiative on this

00:33:15.960 issue and for

00:33:16.780 coming to speak

00:33:18.120 with me today

00:33:18.640 and wish you

00:33:19.740 the best of luck

00:33:20.940 and I'm sure

00:33:21.740 we'll talk again

00:33:22.340 soon.

00:33:23.380 Well,

00:33:23.620 thank you for

00:33:24.000 your journalism

00:33:24.620 and your work

00:33:25.640 in our nation

00:33:26.120 as well,

00:33:26.580 Eli.

00:33:27.080 Have a good

00:33:27.500 day.

00:33:28.360 If you enjoyed

00:33:28.960 this interview,

00:33:30.080 please consider

00:33:30.840 supporting

00:33:31.340 True North

00:33:32.000 at donate.tnc.news

00:33:35.260 today.

00:33:36.520 For True North,

00:33:37.660 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:39.060 Thanks for

00:33:39.520 watching.

00:33:39.920 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:41.920 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:42.920 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:45.420 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:48.200 We'll be right back to

00:33:48.700 of this interview.

00:33:50.520 I'm Elie Quentinantel.

00:33:52.300 We'll see you next Well

00:33:53.020 in the minute.

00:33:53.460 We'll see you next

00:33:54.040 episode of

Juno News - July 07, 2023

New Brunswick’s fight for parental rights (feat. Faytene Grasseschi)

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