TORONTO -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have decided to send their kids back to school, a few weeks after Trudeau admitted they were still grappling with the decision.
The Prime Minister鈥檚 Office confirmed to CTV News on Thursday that, for now, Trudeau鈥檚 three children have returned in-class learning. All of Trudeau's children attend public school in Ontario.
During a press conference in mid-August to announce the prorogation of Parliament, Trudeau said that his family was in the midst of 鈥渧ery active discussions鈥� on whether to return to school.
鈥淚 know that lots of parents are going to be watching carefully what their local school and school board鈥檚 plans are going to be. And there is a lot of reflection in a lot of households, including mine, as to what鈥檚 going to happen when September rolls around,鈥� he said.
Trudeau added at the time that he has personal friends who are parents who were also working through the decision.
鈥淲e are looking at what the school鈥檚 plans are, we鈥檙e looking at class sizes, we鈥檙e looking at how the kids are feeling about wearing masks,鈥� he said.
Conservative Leader Erin O鈥橳oole and his wife also plan to send their two children back to school.
鈥淚 have a lot of confidence in our schools and the plans that are being made,鈥� O鈥橳oole told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Tuesday.
O鈥橳oole added that isolation was 鈥渧ery hard鈥� on children and that he thinks the best approach is for students to return to school with proper safety protocols in place.
鈥淲e have mental wellness concerns if kids are secluded and not having that social interaction. So let鈥檚 do sanitation, let鈥檚 do proper distancing, let鈥檚 get it right, but we need to make sure kids are in school.鈥�
Several provinces are still at odds with teachers鈥� unions about back-to-school plans, with advocates in Ontario and Alberta insisting that the provincial governments need to invest in smaller class sizes to keep students and teachers safe.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday, saying he would rather listen to doctors and epidemiologists than someone "with a degree in English literature who thinks he is a doctor.鈥�
Last week, the federal government announced up to $2 billion in funding to help schools reopen safely.
