Press Room

SASKATOON – Almost 4,000 parents along with a national pro-family group are urging Premier Scott Moe to make good on his promise to use every tool at his disposal, including the Notwithstanding Clause, to ensure that the province’s new pro-parental rights education policy is defended in the province of Saskatchewan.

The new policy, released August 22, requires schools to obtain parental permission when children under age 16 wish to change their name or pronouns used in addressing them.

“This is a common-sense policy that recognizes what a majority of parents already know, namely that parents are the ones who have the best interests of their children at heart, and that parental authority must be respected,” said Jeff Gunnarson, President of Campaign Life Coalition, Canada’s national pro-life and pro-family group.

“This policy simply promotes transparency in schools, better communication between parents and teachers, and ultimately a safer school environment for all students,” he added.

In the wake of LGBT activists launching a lawsuit against the policy, Premier Moe stated that the provincial government is prepared to use “any and all tools available, up to and including the Notwithstanding Clause, should it be necessary to ensure this policy is in place for the foreseeable future in Saskatchewan.”

If this lawsuit proceeds and the courts rule against the policy, Campaign Life Coalition and the parents it represents urge Mr. Moe to make good his promise and invoke the Notwithstanding Clause, which is the province’s constitutional right under Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and override the ruling.

“The Notwithstanding Clause exists precisely for this kind of situation so that provinces have the power to override activist judges who attempt to interfere with the constitutional rights of provinces,” stated Louis Roth, President of Campaign Life Coalition’s Saskatchewan branch. “I urge the Premier to use Section 33 of the Charter to defend the interests of parents in Saskatchewan, just as Ontario and Quebec have done in the past.”

Over 3,700 Canadians have signed a petition by Campaign Life Coalition thanking the provincial government and Mr. Moe for “taking a courageous stand in support of parents and children in Saskatchewan” and demanding that this policy be defended.

“This policy is also in perfect harmony with our nation’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states in Article 18.1: ‘Parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child. The best interests of the child will be their basic concern,’” the petition states.

“I wish to encourage you to fight to defend this common-sense policy, both in the media and in the courts. And if the courts should rule against this policy, I urge you to invoke the ‘Notwithstanding Clause’ under the Canadian Constitution, in order to preserve this policy,” it adds.

About Campaign Life Coalition  

Campaign Life Coalition is a national, non-profit organization involved in political action and advocacy for legal and cultural change in Canada with respect to protecting human life & the family. For more info, visit campaignlifecoalition.com.

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Pete Baklinski, Director of Communications, [email protected], 343-369-8772