University of Regina Pride Centre threatens legal action over Sask. pronoun policy
The University of Regina’s Pride Centre (UR Pride) is preparing to take legal action over Saskatchewan’s new policy for students' names and chosen pronouns.
Under the new policy, announced last week by the government of Saskatchewan, parents of children under 16 must give consent to schools if their child wishes to change their pronouns or name.
UR Pride is set to file a lawsuit at a Court of King’s Bench, citing the policy violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Advocacy group Egale Canada and law firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP is representing UR Pride in the brewing legal battle.
“This policy is deeply problematic and undermines humanity and dignity — and we won't stand for it,” Bennett Jensen, director of Egale Canada, told CTV News.
Jensen believes the government’s pronoun and naming policy violates the Charter's Section 15 – Equality Rights and Section 7 – Life, Liberty and Security of the Person.
Until the lawsuit is filed, UR Pride is asking the province to suspend the policy.
If the government doesn’t suspend the policy by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, UR Pride will take further legal action — ask the court to grant an injunction, to block the policy from coming into effect.
“We’re really worried about the realities that students will be facing on September 5th (the first day of school),” Jensen said.
“There are lots of kids who have been out in schools, maybe not yet comfortable talking to their families.”
Jensen worries about the “immediate consequences” students may face under this policy.
“We absolutely want and think that parents should be involved in this. We're really just talking about giving young people a zone of independence and privacy to be able to navigate their identity,” Jensen said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the policy is inclusive and “designed to include parents in their child's school.”
“We're not considering a pause on the policy,” Moe said, following a cabinet shuffle announcement Tuesday morning that included shifting out Dustin Duncan as education minister.
“We'll be looking to the school divisions on what their implementation plans are, given every scenario that may arise with the implementation of this policy.”
The lawsuit is set to be filed “in the coming days.”
UR Pride is a non-profit service provider housed at the University of Regina. According to its website, the non-profit serves the entire campus community, and provides services to "all folks living or spending time in Regina."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.