In October of 2023, the government of Saskatchewan passed Bill 137, otherwise known as “The Parent’s Bill of Rights”.
The law prevents children under the age of 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school without a parent’s consent. The bill also allows parents to prohibit their children from receiving sexual education at school.
When the bill first passed, education minister Jeremy Cockrill shared in a statement that parents have the right to know what is being taught at their child’s school.
“The Parents’ Bill of Rights’ is an inclusionary policy that ensures that parents are at the forefront of every important decision in their child’s life.” said Cockrill.
Now, almost two years later, the University of Saskatchewan Student Union (USSU) has used their platform to bring awareness to this bill once again. The USSU, alongside the University’s Pride Centre and Women’s Centre, wrote a letter explaining why Bill 137 is harmful for students.
“Bill 137 continues to directly harm and enact violence on youth whose understandings of self do not conform to perspective colonial binaries of gender identity and gender expression.” the letter states.
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The letter also shares why access to sexual education is an important resource for students to have.
“According to the Executive Director of Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (SASS), Saskatchewan has the second-highest rate of sexual violence amongst all other Canadian provinces. Moreover, Saskatchewan is consistently reported to have one of the highest provincial increases in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.”
Access to the USSU’s full letter can be found on their Instagram page.
USSU Pride Centre coordinator Wren Dahl says they see the effect the bill has had on students who were in school when the bill passed. They shared that once at the University of Saskatchewan, those students will be able to live freely and have safe spaces and support on campus.
“No matter what their high school experience was or will be, this will be a safe space that champions those rights.” shares Dahl.
In a statement made to Global News, the Saskatchewan provincial government says it maintains that parents and guardians have a key role in protecting and supporting their children as they grow and develop.
“The Parent’s Bill of Rights introduced amendments to The Education Act, 1995, including the provision that students under the age of 16 receive parental or guardian consent if they want teachers and staff to use a gender-related preferred name or gender identity at school,” the statement reads.
“If it is reasonably expected that obtaining parental consent is likely to result in harm to the student, schools must acquire the appropriate professional resources to support and assist the student in developing a plan to address the student’s request with their parent(s) or guardian(s).
“Requiring parental consent for students under 16 years of age and ensuring schools provide the resources necessary to safely receive that consent will help ensure the student is adequately supported both in the school and at their home.”
The Government of Saskatchewan used the notwithstanding clause to pass the law, but the court of appeal is still considering whether it violates Charter rights.
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