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In August 2023, Premier Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party government imposed rules that require parental consent for children under 16 to change their names or pronouns at school. 

The rules were challenged in court, but months later Moe's government invoked the notwithstanding clause and put them into legislation. 

The clause overrides certain Charter rights for five years, and the province had used it as a shield against legal challenges. 

In 2025, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled the challenge could continue. The province appealed that decision and the case is now before the Supreme Court of Canada, which is to examine whether the law violates Charter rights even if it can't be struck down.

In Saskatchewan, those involved with LGBTQ+ groups say there has been more bullying against transgender youth since the law came into effect.

Keegan Grandel, a member of the Saskatchewan Coalition to Repeal Bill 137 group, said the legislation has emboldened people with transphobic views. 

"Students are being called slurs in the halls and verbally harassed for who they are. They are being physically attacked in school or on the way home from school," Grandel said Thursday.

"We're hearing there's a big increase in mental health-related issues." 

Grandel's group sent 600 letters from petitioners this week to Regina Public Schools, urging trustees not to comply with the law. The letters were gathered over the last year, Grandel said. 

A spokesperson with Regina Public Schools said in a statement it's required to meet all provincial legislation and policy requirements. 

They also said teachers and staff do their best to keep students safe while providing high-quality learning. 

"Regina Public Schools takes great pride in fostering safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments where students can learn, and staff can work with confidence and support," the spokesperson said.

Jesse Knisley, a government spokesperson with Moe's office, said in a statement the law protects the rights of parents and guardians to be involved in decisions that affect their children.

"Requiring parental consent for students under 16 years of age and ensuring schools provide the resources necessary to safely receive that consent will help ensure the student is supported both in the school and at their home," Knisley said. 

Beck said parents should be involved in their children's education, but argued the bill is instead harmful to transgender youth.

"That was exactly what it was intended to do," she said. "We saw a bill that was meant to divide, meant to inflame and meant to help (Moe) politically. He did this for his own self-interest, all while knowing the harm that this bill was going to cause."

Elsewhere in the province, those involved in Pride groups say the issue still weighs heavy.

Blake Tait, co-chair of Saskatoon Pride, said in a recent interview that activists continue to push back but there's been growing apathy from the public.

"I think like the majority of people in the province have forgotten about it, which is frustrating," Tait said. "I think we all really thought that maybe an election will fix it, and then it didn't."

Moe's Saskatchewan Party won its fifth-straight majority in October 2024, though the NDP gained ground in Regina and Saskatoon. 

In Prince Albert, the local Pride organization has been putting on events for teens in need of community. 

"To see kids talking to each other about how to deal with high school, like how it's an enemy and something they have to fight, it's really troubling to see," Jolene Brown, the treasurer with Prince Albert Pride, said. 

"I'm sad to see it and I wish it wasn't that way."

This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published June 25, 2026.