Latest news with #pronounlaw
National Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Michael Higgins: Challenge to Saskatchewan pronoun law a waste of time, money and effort
People hold pride flags while attending a rally against the Saskatchewan government's legislation on pronouns in schools, in front of Saskatchewan legislature in Regina, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu It is tempting to dismiss a court challenge over a Saskatchewan pronoun law as a waste of legal resources and time, a squandering of taxpayers' money and a misreading of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors And yet one person interviewed by the CBC said that because of the law she had 'kids come up to me saying they were afraid that they were going to die, basically, because of their homes being unsafe.' Well, clearly, if teenage boys and girls feel they are going to die because parents aren't using their preferred pronouns then obviously no expense should be spared. This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays) By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again On Monday, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decided to prolong this travesty of justice by sending a challenge over the provincial government's pronoun policy back to a lower court. The government passed its pronoun law using section 33 of the Charter (the notwithstanding clause.) Nobody is challenging that the government didn't have the right to do that. Also, the court case started over the government's original policy (before it passed a law.) That policy has been repealed so that part of the case is entirely moot. However, the appeal court said the original judge did have the right to declare whether he thought Charter rights had been limited — but he didn't have to. The judge can use his discretion about whether to make a declaration or not. So the appeal court is saying the Saskatchewan government has done nothing wrong but a judge still has the right to scold it if he believes the Charter has been infringed in some way. No one should be surprised if the headline on this article is: Judges uphold judge's right to chide government. And all this legal brouhaha is because the Saskatchewan government — quite sensibly — believes that schools shouldn't be in the business of allowing young children to impulsively change their pronouns without telling their parents. In 2023, the Saskatchewan government agreed on a policy that teachers and schools must get written consent from parents before using the preferred pronoun of a student under 16. Premier Scott Moe said at the time that the policy was about 'the rights of a parent to ensure they are involved in their child's decision.' When a non-profit group called the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity at the University of Regina launched a court challenge over the policy, the government put the pronoun policy into law and coupled it with the notwithstanding clause. UR Pride claimed that the government's policy was infringing students' Charter rights under Section 7 (everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person) and Section 15 (every individual is equal before and under the law.) The group now also claims that Section 12 (everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment) has been infringed.
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sask. court rules legal challenge to province's pronoun policy can continue
Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal ruled that litigation over the province's pronoun law, which requires parental consent for children under the age of 16 who want to use a different name or pronoun at school, can continue at the Court of King's Bench, despite the government's use of the notwithstanding clause.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court to rule on appeal of challenge to Saskatchewan pronoun law
REGINA — The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal is expected to rule today on the province's appeal of a decision to allow a challenge of its school pronoun law. A judge ruled last year that the court challenge could continue, despite the government's use of the notwithstanding clause. The law, which came into force in 2023, requires parental consent if children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school. Lawyers for the LGBTQ+ group UR Pride brought forward the challenge, arguing the law causes irreparable harm to gender diverse youth and its case should move ahead. The government has argued its use of the notwithstanding clause to bring the law into force should end the court challenge. Nearly a dozen groups intervened in the appeal, including the government of Alberta, which argued in favour of Saskatchewan. Alberta passed a law last year requiring students 15 and younger have parental consent to change their names or pronouns. Students 16 and 17 don't need consent but their parents have to be notified. New Brunswick also had a pronoun policy but Premier Susan Holt revised it after she was elected in 2024. UR Pride amended its challenge and argues Saskatchewan's law violates Section 12 of the Charter, which is the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment. The province cited other sections when it invoked the notwithstanding clause. Former Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre said last year the Saskatchewan Party government wouldn't hesitate to use the notwithstanding clause again. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press
