'Smokescreen': Sask. parent blasts lack of mental health supports amid 'Parents' Bill of Rights' debate

Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition is highlighting the challenges faced by queer youth accessing mental health supports following the introduction of the ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ in the legislature.

Sarah Mackenzie lost her 14-year-old child Hailey "Bee" Mackenzie Lawson to suicide in May of 2023. Bee had come out as non-binary in 2021 and had struggled with their mental health for many years.

Bee's story was used as one tragic example of the challenges faced by queer youth in the province.

“What happened to my child and so many others should not be happening. They deserve better supports, resources, and care,” Mackenzie said in a news release.

Bee had lost four friends to suicide over the past year, the most recent just the night before.

“This is not just a crisis - it’s an epidemic. There is a system failure and instead of talking about that, the government is trying to divide us with smokescreens to avoid taking accountability and action.”

The Regina mother believes the government’s new pronoun policy could create added stress for some children.

“Everyone should have the right to express themselves in the way they want to express themselves without the fear of prosecution or judgement or hate and I think we need to create safer environments for our kids and let them know they are loved because that’s the biggest thing,” she said.

Sharing his condolences following Question Period, Minister of Health Everett Hindley said the province is acting on the issue but recognizes the need for more action.

“I would just say we’re making record investments into this overall area of mental health and addictions supports for people across this province – $518 million in this year’s budget and that does translate into a number of different programs and initiatives and services and supports,” he told reporters.

“Again, acknowledging though that we still have more work to do in this area and that’s what we’re going to be committed to doing.”

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The Saskatchewan NDP says claims by the government of ample supports for students needing mental health assistance are false.

A Nov. 10, 2022 staffing profile report from the Ministry of Education outlined a decrease of 66.1 positions of teachers in classrooms and a decrease of 1.9 positions of psychologists in the province’s 27 school divisions from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

(Courtesy: Sarah Mackenzie/Saskatchewan NDP)

Counselors across Saskatchewan did rise by 0.7 positions in the same time frame.

The report did note that 25 full-time teaching positions (FTEs) in two First Nations schools weren’t included in the report.

This was due to the school’s no longer being associated with two school divisions.

(Courtesy: Sarah Mackenzie/Sask. NDP)

The numbers – along with stories like Bee’s – make the situation clear according to the NDP.

“We have a record number of kids that are falling through those gaps in the system,” Saskatchewan NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat said during Question Period.

“Sarah’s child is far from the only young person to die by suicide in Saskatchewan. Ten youths aged 19 and under have taken their life this year alone. Over the last five years, that number is 99.

“These aren’t numbers, these are real people.”

(Courtesy: Sarah Mackenzie/Saskatchewan NDP)

“We all deserve to have proper supports and funding to improve care for mental health and addictions,” Mackenzie added.

“Because what we have now isn’t working and isn’t enough.”

The government is promising supports in schools as part of its pronoun policy.

“We take very seriously as a government, as elected officials, as MLAs to makes sure that we are doing everything we can,” Hindley said.

The Parents’ Bill of Rights was tabled for its first reading on Thursday.

-With files from Wayne Mantyka