A stormy start to the parliamentary season
on gender identity
(Regina) As they return to the legislature, Saskatchewan politicians are preparing for a fight over student pronouns in schools. A confrontation that, according to some political observers, could change the electoral landscape of the province.
Parliamentary proceedings are set to resume Tuesday, with the Saskatchewan Party government planning to introduce legislation that would require parental consent when children under the age of 16 want to use different names and pronouns at school.
Premier Scott Moe has announced his intention to invoke the notwithstanding clause, which allows governments to override certain rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for up to five years.
NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck said her team is ready to debate the issue with government officials.
"If they want to talk about education, we're willing to talk about it," Beck said in a recent interview. We are prepared to debate their record, which has frankly failed the children of this province for more than a decade. »
A "Rally for Our Rights" protest is planned in front of Parliament on the day of the politicians' return.
In late September, a judge granted an injunction and suspended the policy. Lawyers for UR Pride, a local LGBTQ group in Regina that sought the injunction, argued that the policy could lead teachers to reveal gender identity to parents against the child's will or misgender a student and thus violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
NDP MP Nathaniel Teed suggested his party could filibuster.
He said on social media that he and other NDP MPs plan to read letters during the debate on behalf
of those affected by the policy and the "attack on Charter rights."
Moe said members of the Saskatchewan Party would ultimately make the decision to legislate on the policy because they represent diverse constituents who have voiced their concerns.
He added that parents should be informed about their children's information at school.
"It's a very common discussion in my community. I was home last night and three people approached me in front of the grocery store," Moe told reporters last week.
"So there are people who are speaking not only to me as a local MP, but to other MPs as well, and have been for some time. Most, if not all, are parents, former parents or grandparents," the Prime Minister said.
Beck acknowledged that children do better when parents are involved, but the new pronoun policy won't make things better. She described the use of the notwithstanding clause as "severe".
"Being willing to make vulnerable children even more vulnerable, that's not the kind of leadership
that many people want to see from the government," she said.
Listening to the electorateAs the debate unfolds in the legislature, political observers say they will be watching closely to see if it moves the electorate.
Daniel Westlake, a political science professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said two outcomes are possible.
In a first scenario, he says, politics could work in the government's favour. If this resonates widely, it could help consolidate more right-wing voters in the government's base.
In the second scenario, the problem could give the government too much of a right-wing orientation. That could prompt some moderate voters to consider alternatives, such as the NDP, Westlake said.
"Something like the use of the notwithstanding clause can lead people to view this as a Charter issue," he said.
"Moderate voters might say, 'I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a party that's willing to violate Charter rights, even though I don't have a strong opinion on pronoun policy specifically,'" he added.
David Rayside, a retired politics professor at the University of Toronto, said centre-right parties
are sometimes worried about losing votes to the far right.
In a by-election in August, the United Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, which claims to defend parental rights, won 23 per cent of the vote, appearing to undermine the Saskatchewan Party's base. The Saskatchewan Party won the by-election with 54%.
According to Rayside, it appears that Canada's conservative governments are monitoring gender debates in the U.S., where some Republicans have introduced pronoun rules in schools and limited sex education.
New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative government has a pronoun policy similar to Saskatchewan's, although school guidance counsellors may use children's chosen names.
Rayside said people are generally more ambivalent about transgender pronouns and rights
and feel general anxiety about the role of parents in school.
"Right-wing politicians know this, or at least have learned it, and are willing to go along with them without really, in my opinion, thinking about the broader issue of risks to children," Rayside said.
Federal Conservative Party delegates at a convention in September voted to ban "medical or surgical procedures" for gender-diverse and transgender children. Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was not required to include those policies in a potential election platform.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her caucus was discussing pronouns at school but had not made a decision.
Rayside wasn't sure how the debate would play out electorally in Saskatchewan, noting that voters tend to lean toward the Conservatives. However, he said he expects the NDP to make its case to centrist voters.
Beck said people want leaders who solve problems with solutions they can support.
"It's one thing to have differences, but to see some politicians willingly stoking that division for their own political ends, I think, is beyond disappointing for people," she said.
Parliamentary proceedings are set to resume Tuesday, with the Saskatchewan Party government planning to introduce legislation that would require parental consent when children under the age of 16 want to use different names and pronouns at school.
Premier Scott Moe has announced his intention to invoke the notwithstanding clause, which allows governments to override certain rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for up to five years.
NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck said her team is ready to debate the issue with government officials.
"If they want to talk about education, we're willing to talk about it," Beck said in a recent interview. We are prepared to debate their record, which has frankly failed the children of this province for more than a decade. »
A "Rally for Our Rights" protest is planned in front of Parliament on the day of the politicians' return.
In late September, a judge granted an injunction and suspended the policy. Lawyers for UR Pride, a local LGBTQ group in Regina that sought the injunction, argued that the policy could lead teachers to reveal gender identity to parents against the child's will or misgender a student and thus violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
NDP MP Nathaniel Teed suggested his party could filibuster.
He said on social media that he and other NDP MPs plan to read letters during the debate on behalf
of those affected by the policy and the "attack on Charter rights."
Moe said members of the Saskatchewan Party would ultimately make the decision to legislate on the policy because they represent diverse constituents who have voiced their concerns.
He added that parents should be informed about their children's information at school.
"It's a very common discussion in my community. I was home last night and three people approached me in front of the grocery store," Moe told reporters last week.
"So there are people who are speaking not only to me as a local MP, but to other MPs as well, and have been for some time. Most, if not all, are parents, former parents or grandparents," the Prime Minister said.
Beck acknowledged that children do better when parents are involved, but the new pronoun policy won't make things better. She described the use of the notwithstanding clause as "severe".
"Being willing to make vulnerable children even more vulnerable, that's not the kind of leadership
that many people want to see from the government," she said.
Listening to the electorateAs the debate unfolds in the legislature, political observers say they will be watching closely to see if it moves the electorate.
Daniel Westlake, a political science professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said two outcomes are possible.
In a first scenario, he says, politics could work in the government's favour. If this resonates widely, it could help consolidate more right-wing voters in the government's base.
In the second scenario, the problem could give the government too much of a right-wing orientation. That could prompt some moderate voters to consider alternatives, such as the NDP, Westlake said.
"Something like the use of the notwithstanding clause can lead people to view this as a Charter issue," he said.
"Moderate voters might say, 'I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a party that's willing to violate Charter rights, even though I don't have a strong opinion on pronoun policy specifically,'" he added.
David Rayside, a retired politics professor at the University of Toronto, said centre-right parties
are sometimes worried about losing votes to the far right.
In a by-election in August, the United Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, which claims to defend parental rights, won 23 per cent of the vote, appearing to undermine the Saskatchewan Party's base. The Saskatchewan Party won the by-election with 54%.
According to Rayside, it appears that Canada's conservative governments are monitoring gender debates in the U.S., where some Republicans have introduced pronoun rules in schools and limited sex education.
New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative government has a pronoun policy similar to Saskatchewan's, although school guidance counsellors may use children's chosen names.
Rayside said people are generally more ambivalent about transgender pronouns and rights
and feel general anxiety about the role of parents in school.
"Right-wing politicians know this, or at least have learned it, and are willing to go along with them without really, in my opinion, thinking about the broader issue of risks to children," Rayside said.
Federal Conservative Party delegates at a convention in September voted to ban "medical or surgical procedures" for gender-diverse and transgender children. Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was not required to include those policies in a potential election platform.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her caucus was discussing pronouns at school but had not made a decision.
Rayside wasn't sure how the debate would play out electorally in Saskatchewan, noting that voters tend to lean toward the Conservatives. However, he said he expects the NDP to make its case to centrist voters.
Beck said people want leaders who solve problems with solutions they can support.
"It's one thing to have differences, but to see some politicians willingly stoking that division for their own political ends, I think, is beyond disappointing for people," she said.