Ontario's deputy premier says teachers can discuss issues not included in the province's sex-education curriculum with students -- but they should do it in private.
Christine Elliott's comments have raised concerns for unions representing elementary and high school teachers.
The newly elected Progressive Conservative government scrapped the province's modernized sex-ed curriculum earlier this month.
It says schools will use a lesson plan first taught in 1998 while consultations are carried out for a new curriculum.
Critics have said the older version is outdated, and doesn't cover topics like gender identity, consent and cyber safety.
Elliott says if a student asks a teacher questions that aren't covered in the curriculum, educators should have the ability to address them.
But she says those chats should occur in private, and not in a classroom setting.
The president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation says Elliott's comments may put teachers in jeopardy.
Harvey Bischof says -- quote -- ``Teachers aren't private counsellors,'' and the remarks do little to clarify what teachers should do to address the gap between the now-scrapped curriculum and the 1998 version.