Sask. government poised to pass Parents' Bill of Rights
CBC
The Saskatchewan government is expected to pass Bill 137, the "Parents' Bill of Rights," on Friday.
The marathon debate over the government's new legislation began Monday night. The second reading debate took 33 hours, concluding around 1:30 p.m.. CST on Thursday.
Third reading and debate is slated for Friday. A vote will follow and the bill will become law once it is signed by the lieutenant-governor.
During the debate so far, virtually the entire 33-hour duration saw Opposition NDP MLAs share their concerns about the policy and read testimonials of those against the new law and against the use of the notwithstanding clause.
Most of the criticism was centred on the requirement for parental consent before a child under 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school.
Opposition members argue this will out children and that it targets a vulnerable minority of transgender and gender-diverse youth.
The use of the notwithstanding clause to override sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code has come under fire by the Opposition and legal experts.
In late August, the government announced its new school policy and a plan to pause presentations in sexual education classes from third-party organizations.
The policy as it relates to name and pronoun use in schools was then challenged in court by the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity.
After a hearing, Justice Michael Megaw granted an injunction pausing the policy's implementation pending a full hearing. Megaw said the policy could cause "irreparable harm."
Later that day, Premier Scott Moe announced his government would recall the legislature early, invoke the notwithstanding clause and pass a law to protect the policy.
On Oct. 10, the emergency session began and Bill 137, which amends the Education Act, was introduced shortly after.
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On Thursday afternoon, Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill and Minister of Justice Bronwyn Eyre took questions from the Opposition over a period of five hours.
