A court in Regina has ordered the Saskatchewan government to allow for the removal of gender markers from birth certificates.
The province is the first jurisdiction in Canada to have a court order the ruling.
“This court order marks an important day in our province,” said David Arnot, chief commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, in a news release. “The removal of gender markers from birth certificates will greatly benefit our transgender community.”
The order was issued at Court of Queen’s Bench on Thursday in response to two human rights complaints filed with the commission in 2014 and 2017. People under the age of 18 can now apply for changes to the gender marking on their birth certificate. The government is also required to allow male or female designations to be removed.
The Northwest Territories and Newfoundland currently allow for non-binary markers on birth certificates and Alberta has amended its legislation to allow for the implementation of non-binary markers. Earlier this month, Ontario began providing M, F or X as an option for gender on birth certificates.
In Saskatchewan, gender markers can now be removed from birth certificates.
