Legislators in Saskatchewan are gearing up for a marathon debate surrounding a controversial policy that would require parental consent before a youth could be referred to by a different pronoun at school.
Introduced last week, the Bill 137, also known the Parents' Bill of Rights, would see students under 16 need parental consent if they wish to change their pronouns or name in school.
Last week, the first reading of the bill in the legislature received unanimous support from the majority Saskatchewan Party and unanimous disagreement from the opposition Saskatchewan NDP.
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The legislation is characterized as unspecified, which means rules of order allow up to 20 hours of debate between the government and official opposition surrounding the bill.
The Sask. Party has offered to double that length, meaning 40 hours of debate surrounding the legislation could occur this week and next.
When the legislation was released on Thursday last week it also included the government's intention to use the federal notwithstanding clause to avoid a potential Charter challenge.
The policy, first announced in August, was paused when a Court of King’s Bench judge granted an injunction in response to a legal challenge mounted by UR Pride, who opposed the policy calling it harmful and discriminatory towards LGBTQ2S+ youth.
More details to come…
