Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal is set to begin hearing the provincial government’s appeal of a ruling concerning its controversial pronoun consent law on Monday.
The appeal will focus on the "Parents' Bill of Rights," a law passed last October, which requires parental consent for students under 16 to use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school. The province lost a legal challenge in February when Court of King's Bench Justice Michael Megaw allowed UR Pride, a Regina-based 2SLGBTQ+ group, to contest the law's constitutionality.
UR Pride argues that the law violates Section 12 of the Charter, which protects Canadians from cruel and unusual treatment. The government, however, is seeking to have the challenge struck down, contending that the use of the notwithstanding clause removes the court's role in the matter.
Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre has affirmed that the government will defend parental rights, even if the case escalates to the Supreme Court. The hearing has attracted national attention, with 11 interveners granted status to argue either for or against the province's appeal.
The hearing is scheduled to last two days at the Court of Appeal in Regina.