Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will require parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school.

She says students 16 and 17 will not need consent, but their parents must be notified.

Smith announced the changes Wednesday in a video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and says they came after discussions with her United Conservative Party caucus.

Smith was slated to hold a news conference Thursday in Calgary.

In the video, Smith announced a number of new policies involving transgender adults and youth, from restrictions on therapy and surgery to participation in sport.

Smith said her government wants transgender people to know they are loved and supported, but she can’t countenance allowing youth to make life-altering changes until they have the maturity to do so.

“It's a very complicated time,” Smith said in the seven-minute video.