Saskatchewan Shakes Up Education with Controversial Parents’ Bill of Rights

The much-discussed “Parents’ Bill of Rights” or Bill 137, introduced by the provincial government of Saskatchewan, had its first reading in the Saskatchewan Legislature recently. The bill centers on a decree of parental rights in relation to their children’s education. According to Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill, while most of these provisions already exist in the Education Act, this bill reinforces them.

One crucial aspect of Bill 137 is its invocation of the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian constitution. This clause is used to override certain sections of the charter and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. The purpose is to ensure that parental consent will be mandatory for any student wishing to alter their gender identification at school.

The bill was met with wholehearted support from Saskatchewan Party MLAs, including the Saskatchewan United Party Leader Nadine Wilson. However, it was unanimously opposed by all Saskatchewan NDP MLAs present at the time of voting. NDP MLA Matt Love expressed disappointment that the government appeared to only listen to those within its own caucus, ignoring the concerns of Saskatchewan parents.

Premier Scott Moe promised to invoke this notwithstanding clause promptly after a Court of King’s Bench judge allowed UR Pride’s injunction against the policy in September. The injunction ruling led to a pause in the policy and subsequently resulted in Moe’s decision to recall the legislature two weeks before the start of the fall session to expedite the legislation’s introduction.

In outlining parents’ rights regarding their children’s education, the legislation, made public through a news release, lists different rights over 15 key points. This ranges from parental consent for teachers to use a child’s chosen gender identity or gender-related preferred name, up to the school principal connecting a child with necessary resources if seeking parental permission proves harmful. A noteworthy point includes notifying parents about sexual health content two weeks prior to its presentation to students.

However, the introduction of this bill led to accusations from the opposition NDP, who labeled it as a “smokescreen” aimed at deflecting accountability for past failures. NDP leader Carla Beck criticized the government’s focus on debating pronouns in schools instead of tackling very pressing concerns such as health care, mental health, and rising living costs.

As the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly prepares to resume regular sessions next week, the future of the Parents’ Bill of Rights hangs in the balance. While the Sask Party is confident of passing the bill after 40 hours of debate, the NDP has remained noncommittal on further stalling tactics. Regardless, this deeply divisive bill will continue to ignite impassioned discussions for days to come.