Parental rights bill to sway half of Saskatchewan voters ‘a lot,’ says poll

Alex Dhaliwal
  |   August 19, 2024   |   Be the first to comment

Saskatchewan is heading to the polls this fall, with its parental notification law front and centre, according to a recent poll. Two-thirds of voters say it will impact how they vote.

According to Saskatoon-based Insightrix Research, 68% of respondents said Bill 137 will impact their vote "a lot" or "some." That includes 72% of New Democrats and 64% of Saskatchewan Party voters.

The NDP lead by a whopping 27 points among voters under 35 and by one point among all decided voters, according to Insightrix. Half (49%) of respondents said the 'pronouns law' will have "a lot" of sway over how they vote, behind only the carbon tax withholdings.

However, the Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan earlier joined forces to defend parental consent policies for minors under 16. 

Bill 137, the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, mandates that children under 16 years of age cannot change their name, use different pronouns, or affirm their 'gender identity' without parental consent. It also bans third-party sex education organizations from classrooms, such as Planned Parenthood.

Alberta is expected to table similar legislation after classes begin next month. The province earlier introduced policies restricting 'gender-affirming care' for minors, and barred transgender participation in female sports.

Published last August, an Angus Reid poll reported that only 14% of Albertans and 10% of Saskatchewanians do not to be informed if their child wants to change names or pronouns. However, Canadians between the ages of 18 and 24 are twice as likely as the general population (28% to 14%) and three-times as likely as those older than 64 years of age (10%) to say this is not an issue that should involve parents.  

That contrasts an earlier joint statement from each province’s solicitor general, who said it is paramount "that the parent-child relationship is respected."

On August 15, the Canadian Press asked Premier Smith if she would invoke the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She replied: "I can confirm we will be bringing forth legislative proposals in the fall sessions. I don't want to presuppose what the outcome of those deliberations will be." Smith did not elaborate on how the bill would be enforced.

Egale Canada, an LGBTQ advocacy group, says it would pursue legal action against Alberta if legislation passes. UR Pride, another LGBTQ advocacy group, filed a constitutional dispute under section 12 of the Charter against Saskatchewan over Bill 137 earlier this year.

The appeal court is being asked to decide whether the Court of King’s Bench is allowed to determine if the law violates the Charter, even if the court has no power to strike it down.

Saskatchewan and UR Pride have until September 6 to file their own factums. The appeal is scheduled for September 23.

Unsurprisingly, the Government of Alberta has "a direct interest in the subject matter and outcome of this appeal."

Saskatchewan, last fall, invoked the clause, which permits provinces to override some human rights for five-year periods. "The notwithstanding clause is part of the Constitution of Canada and allows federal and provincial governments to enact legislation that operates notwithstanding certain provisions of the Charter," reads a Government of Saskatchewan statement at the time.

Premier Smith earlier said that parents have a right to protect their "child’s innocence" from "issues of sexuality."

Heather Kuttai, a former Saskatchewan human rights commissioner, resigned over the legislation. She called it an assault on the rights of 'gender-diverse' children.

A report from Saskatchewan’s child advocate said it violates rights to 'gender identity' and expression.

Lang McGilp, research director at Insightrix, told the National Post that using the notwithstanding clause "struck a lot of people as excessive," especially in Regina and Saskatoon.

"There’s a lot of polarization over the issue between the cities and rural Saskatchewan," McGilp contends.

"Although we typically see a variance between voter intent in urban and rural areas in Saskatchewan, it is more amplified going into this election," he added.

In Alberta, Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said they would have to review the policy's text before passing judgement. "But my team, the teachers I represent, are concerned about the safety of all of their students," he told CTV News in an interview.

"We're concerned about what this will have in terms of a chilling effect on our schools. We have students that are struggling with identity."

Alex Dhaliwal

Journalist and Writer

Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.

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