Green Party of New Brunswick Deputy Leader Megan Mitton has strongly criticized Progressive Conservative MLA Sherry Wilson’s recent comments, in which Wilson referenced the Holocaust while defending a social media post in which she opposed basic LGBTQ rights for children.
Wilson’s post, made during the fall provincial election, appeared to compare the removal of parental oversight in residential schools to the province’s original gender identity policy, which protected LGBTQ+ students. The post sparked backlash from Indigenous leaders and opposition politicians, who called for her removal as a PC candidate.
On Friday, Wilson spoke to the Telegraph-Journal for the first time about the controversy, claiming the media misinterpreted her post. She explained that she made the post on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to highlight the importance of learning from history so that it is not repeated. She then referenced Holocaust memorials, stating, “That’s one of the things they’ll always say, ‘Let’s talk about it, so it never happens again.’”
Mitton, in an interview with the Telegraph-Journal, strongly condemned Wilson’s comments, arguing that neither residential schools nor the Holocaust should have been brought into discussions about Policy 713, the province’s controversial LGBTQ+ inclusion policy.
“I find this very disturbing and shocking to bring the Holocaust into this discussion when residential schools already should not have been brought into this discussion,” Mitton said. “Frankly, this discussion should never have happened – this discussion of rolling back inclusion policies, particularly for non-binary and trans students, should never have happened and was definitely fueled by hateful rhetoric.”
Mitton also took to Instagram to further denounce the use of historical tragedies in political debates, emphasizing that comparisons like Wilson’s are harmful.
“Some comparisons should never be made. Residential schools and the Holocaust were devastating tragedies. Using them to oppose inclusive policies is harmful and dismissive of both historical and present-day experiences. We must honour the truth of these tragedies, not misuse them for political gain,” Mitton wrote.
Mitton has been a vocal opponent of the Higgs government’s 2023 revisions to Policy 713, which required parental consent for students under 16 to use their chosen names and pronouns in school. The policy sparked widespread protests, legal challenges, and internal divisions within the PC Party. Following the Liberals’ landslide election victory, the Holt government swiftly reversed the changes, restoring the right of all students to use their preferred names and pronouns without parental consent.
Wilson, who was re-elected, continues to defend her post, claiming it was misinterpreted. She also blamed the “liberal media” for twisting her words during the election campaign.
Mitton, however, remains firm in her stance, arguing that invoking the Holocaust and residential schools in an LGBTQ+ policy debate is inappropriate and harmful. She continues to push for stronger protections for LGBTQ+ students in New Brunswick.
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