Saskatchewan trans-rights groups rally in Saskatoon and Regina demanding repeal of Bill 137

On Saturday, crowds assembled at Saskatoon’s city hall and the legislative building in Regina to demand that Saskatchewan overturn Bill 137, a statute that prohibits children under 16 from adopting a different name or pronoun at school without parental approval. The law also permits parents to withdraw their children from sexual-health classes and bans third-party sex-education providers, a point critics say is especially troubling given the province’s high rates of syphilis and HIV.

Organizers such as Thios Mwunvaneza, who worked with The Red Bear Party and Queer Momentum, and Blake Tait of Saskatoon Pride described the legislation as creating unsafe environments for trans youth and re-traumatizing trans adults. The provincial government invoked the Notwithstanding Clause to shield the bill from Charter challenges. Opposition NDP leader Carla Beck announced that an NDP government would repeal the act within 100 days of taking office, and MLA Nathaniel Teed echoed the call, emphasizing the need for better relationships among students, teachers, and parents. A challenge filed by UR Pride and other intervenors awaits a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.