Moe unfazed by children’s advocate report, will push on with pronouns policy

Despite Saskatchewan’s children’s advocate coming to the conclusion that the province’s new policy around children’s names and pronouns in school is discriminatory, Premier Scott Moe is set on moving ahead with it.

Last week, the advocate, Lisa Broda, released a report that concluded the policy requiring children under 16 to get a parent’s permission before changing their name or pronoun in a school setting violates children’s rights.

“All people, regardless of age, have an inherent human right … to have their gender identity and gender expression respected. The Ministry of Education and all schools in the province are bound by these legal obligations,” read the advocate’s report.

On Wednesday, Moe said his government will continue with all three policies announced, including the one dealing with pronouns, and will use whatever tools it has available to make sure they’re implemented.

“I think we’d look at the Children’s Advocate report with interest with respect to maybe some of the supports that are available for not just children in this situation but children in general that may be in a difficult situation across our schools,” said Moe.

The premier also pointed out that Broda in her report did say that parents are a critical part of a child’s upbringing and should be involved in their education.

But in the actual report, in the next several lines after the section Moe cited, the advocate talked about how this situation needs to be viewed through the lens of children’s rights.

“Children are human beings with their own rights and legally recognized ability to make certain personal decisions in accordance with their maturity and capacity,” she wrote. “The care and guidance provided by parents/guardians is of utmost importance to the growth and well-being of children, however, must be exercised in accordance with respect for the rights of the children and their evolving capacities.”

The advocate went on to say that the government has an obligation to protect these rights.

Broda wrote about the development of the policy, pointing out that children and youth weren’t consulted, nor were school boards, teachers and other school staff, experts on gender diversity or the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

When Moe was asked whether more time should have been taken to speak with experts, he replied there’s been a lot of discussion around the policy and a lot of talk between MLAs and parents from across the province.

The premier also repeated what he’s said every time this topic has come up, saying the policy is meant to be inclusive and encouraging parents to get more involved in their school communities.