A controversial decision by a rural Manitoba school division to bring back the singing of “God Save the King” each morning has some community members scratching their heads.
At a board meeting on Monday night, Mountain View School Division said the plan — which appears to be based on an obscure piece of provincial legislation that has all but disappeared from practice provincewide — will go ahead while the division consults with lawyers on any legal repercussions.
Fabien Carriere, who has three children at schools in the division, told Global Winnipeg he feels the situation isn’t only a waste of time and resources, but also a “slap in the face” to the large population of Indigenous students who attend Mountain View schools.
“I think the amount of time and effort being spent by the board of trustees on this issue is a waste of time and, in my opinion as a Metis citizen, it’s a step backwards toward truth and reconciliation,” said Carriere, who attended Mountain View schools himself from kindergarten through Grade 12.
“The school division has bigger problems to worry about than singing a song every morning.”
“There’s a ton of Indigenous students in this school division, and I really don’t think that there’s any real purpose in singing it. The only time I’ve sang, ‘God Save the King’ is at a Remembrance Day service, and that’s where it belongs, it doesn’t belong in the schools,” he said.
The division has been a lightning rod for controversy since last spring, when a school trustee’s comments about residential schools led to wide condemnation and a review by the province.
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That trustee’s remarks at a board meeting, reportedly suggesting residential schools started out as a good thing, may have indirectly led to the dismissal of the Dauphin-area school division’s superintendent and the subsequent resignation of three other trustees — ultimately requiring the provincial government to step in and appoint a special advisory panel.
In a statement Wednesday, Mountain View board chair Jason Gryba said the royal anthem is technically not being reintroduced, citing the provincial legislation that has been all but ignored by other divisions in recent decades.
“It has always been a legislative requirement under the School Patriotic Observance Regulations,” Gryba said.
“Following the law is not a matter of choice for the board, as our oath of office requires us to uphold all legislation.”
Gryba said the decision stemmed from concern about other types of announcements being made at the school prior to the singing of ‘O Canada,’ which led to a review of the legislation around patriotic observances.
“This is an important learning opportunity for our school division and the broader community. The relationship between Canada and the Crown is a constitutional reality that is often under-addressed.
“School divisions are established by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and operate within the constitutional framework of the Crown.”
As school trustees, he said, the board members are required to pledge an oath to King Charles III.
The board, however, was surprised by the decision, according to trustee Scott Lynxleg, a vocal opponent of “God Save the King” in schools.
“I asked for a vote on it and they said we couldn’t vote on it, it was a law and we couldn’t change the law — it’s a school board, we only do policy,” he said.
“We talk about reconciliation, and now we’re forced to listen to a song about a king … it just doesn’t seem right,” said Lynxleg.
Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said the division wouldn’t face any repercussions if they, like every other school division in the province has for decades, opted not to play the song.
“It is still a rule that exists on the books. I think most Manitobans would agree that that rule is outdated, it is not enforced in schools — the department is not enforcing that rule.”
Schmidt says the province is in the middle of a broader review on education regulations, including the use of anthems.
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