‘Still fighting’: Opponents of Sask. pronoun policy make their voices heard in P.A.

The event featured a number of numbers including local Elder Liz Settee, former NDP candidate Troy Parenteau, and Nora Vedress, Minister at Calvary United Church, the city’s only affirming church.

Local artist, educator, and LGBTQ representative for CUPE Saskatchewan’s card committee John Brady McDonald also spoke at the event. He believes the new policy is putting LGBTQ+ kids at risk.

“We’ve got LGBTQ+ students who spent an entire summer away from that supportive environment where they had an opportunity to be themselves and they’re going into an environment now where it was safe. Now, that safety is at risk.”

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

McDonald said this fight to protect students is something he has been involved with for more than 30 years, as he experienced the same level of fear in schools when he was a teen.

While he admits it is tiring to be fighting this issue still, he won’t give up. He added he doesn’t understand why the government won’t trust teachers with students and their well-being.

“Parents trust us as educators with their students, with their children for 32 and a half hours a week through the school year. That’s a very sacred trust and it’s our job not just to educate, but to keep (them) safe and to provide that safe space and we’re going to continue to speak for that.”

Despite the continued backlash, the SaskParty government is defending its policy, believing it has the support of parents and teachers.

“I would say the vast majority, if not all, parents want to support their child and most certainly want to take an active role in their child’s upbringing and their child’s education,” explained Premier Scott Moe.

“This policy, by its very design, is designed to include parents in their child’s education (and) to include parents in their child’s school. What can be more supportive than bringing parents closer to what is happening in their schools?”

When it comes to public support, that appears to be split in Saskatchewan, according to a recent poll conducted by Angus Reid. It showed 50 per cent of the 255 people who responded in Saskatchewan agreed a parent should be told if their child wants to identify differently and parental consent should be required.

Roughly 36 per cent of Saskatchewan residents polled said parents should be told but consent shouldn’t be required, while 10 per cent said it should be up to the child.

Nationally, 35 per cent felt consent shouldn’t be required, and 14 per cent said it should be up to the child.

Under the new rules, parents will have to be notified when sexual health education is happening and what will be included. Parents also will have the ability to take their kids out of the class if they wish.

No third parties will be allowed to be brought in for sexual health education presentations, except from the Ministry of Education or the Saskatchewan Health Authority. School divisions also will have to pause working with third parties on sex education programming as well.

That decision hasn’t sat well with third-party organizations like Sexual Assault Centres. In a statement released earlier this week, the Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan said it greatly opposes the new rules, saying a ban on these third-party presentations impacts the relationship between these centres and local schools.

“Our ability to engage with young people through the educational system is being revoked, significantly limiting students’ access to comprehensive sexual health education which includes vital information and guidance on sexual violence,” said Executive Director Hayley Kennedy.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

Other organizations that have opposed these new rules include the University of Regina Pride Society, which is threatening a lawsuit against the province and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN). In a release sent Wednesday afternoon, the FSIN called for an apology from the province and a repeal of the new policies.

“The Saskatchewan government has a history of failing to consult with the appropriate parties when developing policies. Before enacting a bad policy that harms many of our sacred people within the education system, FSIN calls on the Ministry of Education to properly engage with Two-Spirit LGBTQ+ people, 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy groups, researchers, educators, and Indigenous people, said Chief Bobby Cameron.

Back in Prince Albert, McDonald said he has heard both sides of the debate but believes this decision to change the policies right before school starts is nothing more than a political show, noting that the decision came after recent byelections in Regina and Lumsden.

“I think they got spooked that they’re losing their voters,” he said. “They saw votes going away from them and to something further right. It’s part and parcel of what we’ve come to expect from this government, and it’s sad that we’re still fighting this fight.”

The SaskParty lost the seats in the Regina byelections but kept their seat in Lumsden-Morse, finishing ahead of the Sask United Party, which has advocated for more parental rights in education.

Lumsden made news in June after a series of explicit alphabet cards were found in a high school classroom following a presentation to a Grade 9 classroom. That led to now former Education Minister Dustin Duncan suspending Planned Parenthood from schools.

The organization, which the Prairie Valley School Division said is recommended by the Ministry of Health, apologized for the incident, adding the cards were not approved by the school for that visit and they inadvertently ended up in the hands of a student.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Derek Craddock

‘Still fighting’: Opponents of Sask. pronoun policy make their voices heard in P.A.

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