Dear John,

My name is Paige MacPherson and I’m the Associate Director of Education Policy here at the Fraser Institute.

As a proud mom of four myself, nothing is more important to me than ensuring a quality education for all Canadian children.

This year, we took a deep dive into one of the most pressing issues facing parents today: what children are being taught in K-12 schools.

In a survey conducted by Leger for the Fraser Institute, we found that a clear majority of Canadian parents value balance over bias in the classroom, and strongly support the need for greater parental involvement and transparency in schools.

This survey comes at a time when school policies, curriculum choices, and the way controversial topics are handled have become hotly debated issues across the nation.

Here are just a few of the key findings from our research:

• 76% of parents in Canada with kids in K-12 schools agree that students should be presented with both sides of controversial issues or that these topics should be avoided entirely in the classroom.
• 91% of parents believe that all classroom material and discussions should be age-appropriate.
• More than 81% of parents want advance notice of controversial topics being discussed in class or during school activities, allowing them to offer informed consent.
• Additionally, 7 in 10 parents believe they should have the right to remove their child from specific lessons on controversial topics without any negative impact on their child’s grades.
• These findings highlight a significant disconnect between what parents across Canada value and the current debates dominating media and politics.

It’s clear that parents overwhelmingly want their children to learn facts, not opinions, and that they expect to be kept informed so they can make decisions in the best interests of their children.

This is the type of research we do at the Fraser Institute. By conducting in-depth, non-partisan studies, we ensure that the voices of Canadian families are heard – voices that are often overlooked in the policymaking process.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your support to continue conducting critical research like this.

If you’re able, I’d like to ask you to make a donation to the Fraser Institute today. We don’t take government money to conduct our research – we rely on supporters like you!

Thank you so much for your support. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all the best for 2025!

Sincerely,

Paige MacPherson
Associate Director, Education Policy
The Fraser Institute