The Alberta government is proposing new rules that require children aged 15 and younger to obtain parental permission before changing their name or pronouns at school. Meanwhile, 16 and 17-year-olds will not need permission but their parents or guardians will be notified. This move is similar to the 'Parents Bill of Rights' introduced in Saskatchewan in 2023. Rachel Loewen Walker, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, discusses this development.
WATCH: The Alberta government is proposing new rules when it comes to parental consent . Children, 15 and younger, will need parental permission to change their name or pronouns at school. Meanwhile, 16 and 17-year-olds will not need permission, but their parents or guardians will be notified. It is similar to what was introduced in Saskatchewan in 2023 in what that provincial government called a "Parents Bill of Rights.
UR Pride, an LGBTQ2 group in Regina, filed a legal challenge in January, arguing the Parents’ Bill of Rights violates the rights of transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse youth to a safe environment in school.
Alberta argues that Saskatchewan’s use of the notwithstanding clause in the Charter should have prevented a review of the legislation’s constitutionality. The Alberta government also argues that the review will not only impact parental rights across Canada but also the application of the notwithstanding clause, which the province says is an “integral piece” of the Charter and the Constitution of Canada.
“Alberta has written to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal advising of our intention to apply to intervene in Saskatchewan’s appeal of the UR Pride decision of the Saskatchewan Court of Kings Bench.”
Alberta Parental Consent Name Change Pronoun Change School Parents Bill Of Rights Saskatchewan Legal Challenge
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