A scheduled rally at the legislative building in Saskatchewan is in anticipation of a debate on a contentious bill, as provincial lawmakers assemble a fortnight before its expected passage. The man at the helm, Premier Scott Moe, has pledged to assert the notwithstanding clause. This follows a King’s Bench judge imposing a provisional injunction on an education policy mandating students under the age of 16 to obtain parental approval prior to altering their pronouns or preferred monikers in the educational environment.
The proposed policy has been rebuffed by a consortium of critics, including Saskatchewan’s children’s advocate, local attorneys, the national justice minister, and LGBTQ2S+ factions. The critics oppose the policy, suggesting an infringement on the Charter rights of children.
In response to the injunction, which lays groundwork until a final court judgment on the Charter concerns brought forth by litigation from a University of Regina Pride group, Moe termed it a case of “judicial overreach”.
The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour has extended an open invitation to the public via an announcement on the SGEU website. The invitation encourages citizens to join them on the steps of the legislative building from noon till 2 p.m. on Tuesday, to voice their opposition against what they term is the “irresponsible and unwarranted exploitation of the notwithstanding clause.”
The SGEU has described Moe’s assertion of the clause as a hazardous maneuver, jeopardizing all Canadians’ rights. They expressed their view that if the Premier genuinely backed his policy, he would let it be subject to judicial review and consideration. However, Moe counters, expressing confidence that the majority of parents would support the controversial policy.
November will see the pronoun policy put to the test in a court of law through a constitutional challenge. There are plans by the government to leverage the notwithstanding clause in the constitution to surmount any pending obstacles.
