Poll: Most Canadians oppose gender-neutral birth certificates
The majority of Canadians are not on board with Ontario’s plan to develop a gender-neutral option for birth certificates, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.
In May, Ontario’s provincial government announced plans to issue gender-neutral birth certificates for people who want them by 2018.
The decision comes after an application from Joshua M. Ferguson, who doesn’t identify as male or female, requested his birth certificate change to non-binary.
Ontario also allows residents to opt for an X, rather than an M or F on their drivers’ licenses and has removed gender information from health care cards entirely.
The survey found the majority of Canadians (58%) say they oppose their province following Ontario’s lead and issuing gender-neutral birth certificates.
Province’s opinions vary on gender-neutral birth certificates
The Atlantic provinces are most likely to support (55%) a plan to issue gender-neutral birth certificates. On the other hand, Saskatchewan is most likely to oppose gender-neutral birth certificates as 75% of the respondents from the province disagree with the move.
Image: Angus Reid Institute
The push for gender-neutral birth certificates is also a hot topic in other parts of Canada.
In April, Gemma Hickey of Newfoundland and Labrador applied for a non-binary birth certificate. Meanwhile across the country, Katy Doty, a BC parent has requested that the province issue their newborn a certificate without a gender.
In Alberta, the legislature passed a bill in 2016 that will allow a non-binary option on birth certificates in the province.
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