Amidst a backdrop of distress and contention, Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition turns a spotlight on the daunting hurdles queer youth traverse in their quest for mental health assistance, riding piggyback on latest enforcement of the ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ in the legislative assembly.
One of the heartrending tales weaving through the growing tapestry of struggle is conjured by Sarah Mackenzie whose 14-year-old offspring, Hailey “Bee” Mackenzie Lawson, escalated to suicide’s grim beckoning in May 2023. Bee, who had publicly embraced their non-binary identity in 2021, was long ensnared in an exhausting battle with their mental wellbeing.
Bee’s harrowing saga was underscored as a reprehensible illustration of the daunting challenges queer youth in Saskatchewan grapple with. “It’s unconscionable that the fate of my child, and countless others, should unravel so tragically. A clarion call rings out for enhanced support, resources, and compassionate care,” lamented Mackenzie.
Adding to Bee’s fragile emotional state were the traumatic suicides of four friends within a year, including one barely a day prior. Mackenzie voiced the necessity for urgent action, decrying the situation as an epidemic and a system failure, alleging that government smokescreens were obscuring their lack of accountability and action.
Mackenzie’s ire was also trained on the newly instituted pronoun policy, which she anticipates may exacerbate stress levels in certain children. “Each individual deserves the liberty to express themselves without the spectre of prosecution, judgement, or vitriol lingering over them. Safer environments for our children, where love and acceptance reign supreme, are not mere niceties but intangible necessities,” she asserted.
Minister of Health, Everett Hindley, expressing condolences in the aftermath of a fiery Question Period discourse, assured that the issues were receiving attention, while concurring on the urgency for amplified action.
Yet accusations from the Saskatchewan NDP puncture the government’s assertions of abundant mental health supports for students. They point out a significant reduction in educational and psychologist positions, while counselling positions have seen only a minuscule increase.
Insistence from the NDP suggests that hard cold numbers combined with soul-crushing anecdotes such as Bee’s only serve to underscore the existing crisis. “A staggering number of kids are slipping through the gaping holes in the system,” voiced Saskatchewan NDP Health Critic, Vicki Mowat, during Question Period.
Mowat called attention to the chilling statistic that within the current year alone, Saskatchewan has borne witness to ten suicides in the 19-and-under demographic. The last five years have seen this number inch close to a hundred. “These aren’t merely numbers, they are lives lost too soon,” she stressed.
“Nothing short of comprehensive supports and robust funding for mental health and addiction care will suffice,” affirmed Mackenzie. She further emphasized that the existing system is clearly inadequate and ineffective.
Meanwhile, the government dangles the promise of in-school supports as a provision of its pronoun policy. “As representatives of the people, it is our solemn responsibility to ensure every measure possible is enacted,” committed Hindley. As for the much-debated Parents’ Bill of Rights, it was placed on the legislative tables for its inaugural reading.
