Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made headlines by marching in Pride parades—but here are two ways Canadian provinces are supporting queer families (among others) through actual policies: Ontario now recognizes up to four co-parents, and Quebec will introduce discussion of different family types, including same-sex couples, to its mandatory sex education curriculum.
The All Families Are Equal Act, which came into effect in Ontario last January, “recognizes the legal rights of up to four co-parents, regardless of their sexual orientation or how the child was conceived,” reports Toronto Life. It “has opened up a broad new world of legally recognized parenting possibilities: gay man plus straight woman, gay woman plus gay man plus straight woman, two straight people who just aren’t into each other, and many more permutations.” Toronto Life shares profiles of three such families, who give us insight into the joys and challenges of parenting as a trio or quartet. Go read, whether you have or want such a family structure yourself—it offers a wonderful glimpse of these families.
And Quebec will now require sex education as a mandatory subject in every grade by September 2018. The youngest kids “will initially begin by learning about different types of families, including ones which include same-sex couples,” reports PinkNews. Some people are protesting the curriculum as not age appropriate, PinkNews adds—while CBC reports that teachers are concerned about the lack of training on the content and the difficulty of fitting it into the existing schedule. Let’s hope the province works this out—all kids will benefit from accurate and inclusive education on topics they typically pick up on earlier than adults give them credit for, anyway. The Loop offers more details on the curriculum, which for older students will also include topics such as homophobia, sexism, gender stereotyping, consent, and sexual assault.
Kudos to our northern neighbors for making such strides towards equity, inclusion, and the well-being of all children.