Sask. students and teachers continue to grapple with pronoun consent law as school year wraps
CBC
As the school year winds down in Saskatchewan, some students say they've had starkly different experiences since the province's pronoun consent law came into effect.
The Parents' Bill of Rights or Bill 137, a law passed by the provincial government in 2023, requires parental consent before a child under the age of 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school.
Kimberli Kolody-Watt, who identifies as a member of the queer community, is graduating school this year. Kolody-Watt is also a part of a gay-straight alliance (GSA) at her Regina Catholic high school. GSAs are school clubs for students who wish to support school environments that are safe for, inclusive of, and responsive to gender and sexually diverse people.
Kolody-Watt said she's been hearing concerns from younger students over the last couple years.
"When the bill came out, I had a lot of kids come up to me saying they were afraid that they were going to die, basically, because of their homes being unsafe," Kolody-Watt said.
"Another one that I got was that they were telling me to use their dead name now instead of their preferred name because they did not want to be outed and scolded in front of the school, or in front of their family. They just didn't need that."
Deadnaming means using the name a transgender person was given at birth, but no longer uses after transitioning.
Kolody-Watt said she's noticed a hush in the corridors during school hours.
"Everyone was more silent, more secured. No one was really hanging out with each other anymore."
The pronoun rules were part of a provincial policy announced in August 2023. In September that year, a judge granted an injunction against the change until a court challenge could be heard, saying the protection of gender-diverse youth surpasses the interest of the government.
That court challenge prompted Premier Scott Moe to recall the legislature to make the rule a law. The legislation invoked the notwithstanding clause, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years.
The province has not offered details on how teachers would be punished if they don't abide by the law, saying it has left it up to school divisions to make sure it's followed.
In 2023, dozens of teachers signed an online petition calling on school divisions not to follow the law. Aubrey Swift, an elementary school teacher at Regina Public School, was one of the signatories.
"The fact that Bill 137 is only in existence because of the notwithstanding clause, I don't know if I can legally be compelled to follow a law that is against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she said. "I'm working on my personal ethics and the morals of my professional organization as I see those to be."
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.