The Supreme Court of Canada will hear appeals regarding Saskatchewan's school pronoun law. This law prohibits children under 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent. Premier Scott Moe's government enacted this legislation in 2023, utilizing the Charter's notwithstanding clause, which allows the government to bypass certain Charter rights for a period of five years.

The provincial government argues that parental involvement is essential in decisions affecting their children at school. In contrast, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group UR Pride contends that the law inflicts irreparable harm on gender-diverse youth.

Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled that UR Pride's challenge could proceed. The court stated it could not invalidate the legislation due to the notwithstanding clause but could provide a declaratory judgment on whether the law infringes on constitutional rights.

Both UR Pride and the Saskatchewan government have appealed this decision. They have requested that the Supreme Court expedite the case, which will be heard alongside a challenge to a Quebec law that restricts public sector workers from wearing religious symbols while on duty. Quebec's law also invokes the notwithstanding clause.

The outcome of these appeals could have significant implications for the rights of students and the role of parental consent in educational settings across Canada.