Saskatchewan’s government has officially introduced Bill 137, dubbed the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which includes a policy that schools must obtain parental consent if a student wants to change their preferred pronouns.
The proposed bill has led to heated discussion in the legislature and a lawsuit in which an interim injunction temporarily pausing the policy was approved by the Court of King’s Bench in Saskatchewan.
Premier Scott Moe said his government will use the notwithstanding clause in the Canadian charter to push the bill forward. Consequently, he recalled the legislature early to deal with the issue.
“We believe trusting relationships with students do not come at the cost of infringing on the trust of parents,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said during the Oct. 12 legislature sitting.