'We are not backing down': Premier Moe says legislation on parental rights coming this fall
CBC
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he plans to introduce legislation this fall aimed at protecting parental rights.
Moe made the comments at the premier's dinner in Regina on Thursday night and again on social media Friday.
"We are not backing down," the premier said. His office said in an email to CBC that further details about the legislation, which is currently being developed for introduction in the assembly this fall, will be announced "in due course."
In late August, former education minister Dustin Duncan banned third-party organizations from teaching sexual education courses, and said parents could pull children from participating. He also mandated that children under 16 require parental consent if they want to go by different names or pronouns at school.
The founder of a group described as a national Christian organization said it has been successful in influencing the Saskatchewan Party government to adopt pronoun and sexual education policies that affect children at school.
Tanya Gaw, founder of Action4Canada, said her group urged the Saskatchewan government to ban Planned Parenthood and SOGI 123, a sexual health resource, from schools months before the province did so.
Gaw said Action4Canada got more than 10,000 emails, on behalf of petitioners, sent to former education minister Dustin Duncan and Premier Scott Moe. She said one of her members also had a face-to-face conversation with Duncan's staff in April, serving what the group calls a "notice of liability" for "causing harm" to children by exposing them to "sexually explicit" resources.
Gaw did not say how many of those emails came from Saskatchewan residents or parents with young children.
"The premier and others also had a meet-and-greet in a park, which was a good opportunity to get some of the information in their hands," Gaw said in a recent interview.
"It was just a consistent pursuing of their office, providing information in the files that we had."
UR Pride, a community organization representing LGBTQ people in Regina, has filed legal action against the government over the pronoun policy.
It said the policy violates Charter rights because it could out kids to their parents or result in teachers misgendering them at school. A judge is expected to hear the case Sept. 19.
WATCH | Former teacher speaks out on Sask. government's new education policy:
Gaw said the changes are a "partial win," because the group also wanted non-governmental and "special interest group" flags, including Pride flags, to be banned from schools.