Change room policy consultations to start soon in Saskatchewan

With the legislature getting into its fall sitting and ministers digging into their new files, consultations are expected to start soon on the provincial government’s change room policy.

During the election campaign, Premier Scott Moe said his party would make a change room policy requiring students to use the change rooms that conform with their biological gender its “first order of business.”

Moe later softened the language, but said that didn’t mean a policy wouldn’t go ahead – he said he wanted his new education minister to consult with school divisions before a policy would be implemented.

Education Minister Everett Hindley said he’s already been speaking with his ministry officials about the issue, and is set to start consulting with divisions next week.

“I want to be able to get a lay of the land to see what’s currently in place across Saskatchewan in various school divisions, and then from there have some consistency right across our province,” said Hindley.

Hindley said one of his goals is to ensure that all Saskatchewan students “do feel comfortable within their own school setting on this, or any other issue.”

However, Hindley didn’t detail what all students being comfortable would mean, practically, for schools.

“I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to say before having talked to school divisions about what their existing policies are and what might need to be changed or improved upon,” he said.

Hindley explained that he wanted to focus on the conversations with divisions and to make sure something can be found that works for everyone.

‘A target on the backs of my two 12-year-old kids’

Saskatchewan NDP MLA Jared Clarke stood up and spoke about the issue in the assembly during the Throne Speech debate, saying the premier had “gone after” transgender kids.

The change room policy appears to have been prompted by concerns brought up at one school near Regina during the election, where some students were reportedly uncomfortable with two transgender students in a change room.

Clarke revealed in the assembly that those kids were his daughters. He said he’s proud that “they have the incredible strength to live as their authentic selves.”

In his speech, Clarke said the election campaign was difficult for his family after that story came out. He said unimaginable hate rained down on them.

“The premier put a target on the backs of my two 12-year-old kids,” said Clarke.

NDP MLA Jared Clarke in his speech Tuesday, accused the premier of targeting transgender kids. (CJME file photo)

He accused Moe of stoking fear and outrage about an elementary school.

“What do you think would be going through a 12-year-old’s mind when they hear the premier of their province targeting them? What if this was any other child of any other MLA in this chamber? Would this be acceptable?”

Clarke said this was the second time the premier attacked transgender kids, referencing the controversial pronoun bill which was passed in an emergency session last year as the first. That measure requires that parents give consent if a child under the age of 16 wants to change the name or pronouns used at school.

“The premier owes my children an apology. He owes all transgender people in this province, especially kids, an apology for how he has made them feel so unsafe over the last year,” said Clarke.

Clarke said if he could have chosen, he wouldn’t have chosen a path for his kids that was so difficult and dangerous, but he and his wife chose to embrace and love their kids with all their hearts.

“Transgender kids are not scary. Transgender people are not scary. They are not people that we should be afraid of. They are people who deserve to be treated with respect, and dignity, and love,” he said.

The premier’s office said in a statement that at no point did Moe or the former education minister identify the children at the root of the change room policy push, and noted that they had said the identity of the kids shouldn’t be part of any political debates.

–with files from The Canadian Press