Last week, I called on the Government of Saskatchewan to apologize for Saskatchewan’s role in Canada’s Adopt Indian Métis program, also called the ’60s Scoop. Today, the government responded positively. I’m pleased, and ready to work together with all members of the Legislative Assembly and First Nations and Métis leaders and community members on this process.

Apologies can be powerful, especially when they’re accompanied with by concrete actions.

Easier access to birth records as well as access to counselling are concrete steps the government should take to assist individuals and families affected by the ’60s Scoop. I also want the provincial government to host a roundtable with ’60s Scoop survivors, to hear their stories, and develop an action plan to move toward healing and reconciliation.

Extending opportunity to more and more people is critical to improving our shared futures, and to building a stronger province both socially and economically. Acknowledging the ’60s Scoop as a damaging historical wrong with long-lasting consequences can help tear down a barrier to a better life for many in our province.

I encourage all members of the Legislative Assembly to lay aside political differences to work in cooperation on this important process. Apologizing to those who were taken as children, and to their families and communities, needs to be a significant and meaningful process.

Before pride month ends, the NDP wants the Sask. Party to agree to pass the bill that addresses bullying and allows students of any publicly funded school to set up a GSA, a gender and sexuality alliance, also called a gay straight alliance.

The Respect for Diversity – Student Bill of Rights Act is private member’s bill introduced by the NDP. It addresses bullying and cyberbullying, gives students with a disability the right to be accommodated and requires all schools that receive public funding to help any student that asks to establish a GSA. The bill has found immense support during pride month in Saskatchewan.

“People have approached New Democrat MLAs and candidates during pride events to say what that bill means to them. People tell us that having a GSA when they were a student would have made a huge difference,” said NDP deputy leader Trent Wotherspoon, who will march in the pride parade in Regina on Saturday.

“We’ve also heard from students who say they were turned away when they asked for a GSA in their school. It’s time to take the pressure off these kids and make the right to form a GSA law. Whether it’s a friend or family member or someone we read about in the news, we all know a child for whom this law will come too late.”

Statistics show that 64 per cent of gender and sexually diverse students feel unsafe at schools. 80 per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) youth report being bullied. 50 per cent of all LGBTQ youth have thought about suicide. Having GSAs established in a school for three or more years reduces rates of discrimination, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts by half.

“GSAs save lives,” said Wotherspoon. “We’ve had hundreds of people lining up to sign a petition to call on the Sask. Party to pass this law; and. Kids shouldn’t have to be the leaders in fighting for their safety and their rights here – that should be up to us.”

Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick already have similar GSA laws.

The NDP bill was introduced by David Forbes, the critic for Diversity, Equality and Human Rights, in the spring.

Monday May 11^th

Possible cash hit if Gay-Straight Alliances not allowed in schools (LP, CJWW)**

If schools aren’t allowing gay-straight alliances (GSAs), Education Minister Don Morgan wants to know about it — they may face a financial penalty. Morgan was reacting to a private members bill tabled by the Opposition recently, the Respect for Diversity — Student Bill of Rights Act, which would legislate the right to GSAs.

• http://www.leaderpost.com/news/regina/Possible+cash+Straight+Alliances+allowed+schools/11049005/story.html

NDP Seeks to Legislate Gay-Straight Alliances in Schools

• http://www.saskatoonhomepage.ca/ndp-seeks-to-legislate-gay-straight-alliances-in-schools/itemid_21

Tuesday May 12

NDP pushes government on GSAs (CJWW, CKRM, Global Regina, MJ Times, SP)**
The NDP Opposition says Saskatchewan schools should be mandated by law to accommodate gay-straight alliances (GSAs). “What is the real reason this government is so afraid to pass legalization on GSAs? Is it because the Sask. Party is afraid to offend social conservatives?”

• http://www.saskatoonhomepage.ca/hyperbaric-chamber-gay-straight-alliances-headline-legislature/itemid_21
• http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Canada—World/Society/2015-05-12/article-4144664/Saskatchewan-NDP-says-law-needed-for-gay-straight-alliances-for-students/1
• http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#report/view?993634/token/dfd277af-fa2e-4850-8731-c699b4a15417
• http://620ckrm.com/ckrm-on-air/ckrm-local-news/9741-ndp-leader-cam-broten-says-laws-for-gay-straight-alliances-are-needed-in-saskatchewan
• http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#report/view?993712/token/fc114493-0ff7-4ab9-a6ca-186ff1601818
• http://globalnews.ca/news/1994711/no-need-for-symbolic-gay-straight-alliance-law-sask-education-minister/
• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/pushes+GSAs/11050361/story.html

Wednesday May 13^th

Saskatchewan students call for government legislation (LP)**
Schools and their respective divisions throughout the province may not be handling requests for gay-straight alliances as well as the government had thought. There are kids in our schools who are contemplating suicide,” Forbes said. “We can’t be avoiding the tough questions and the tough leadership.”

• http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Saskatchewan+students+call+government+legislation/11054280/story.html

Thursday May 14^th

Rick Mercer tweets do the right thing:

• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Please+right+thing+Mercer+addresses+debate+Saskatchewan/11055971/story.html

Friday May 15^th

Letter – Margi Corbett asks Why won’t our provincial government legislate protection of students’ human rights in public schools?

• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Policy+Insufficient/11057732/story.html

Wall says the government’s policy on gay-straight alliances in schools ensures they can exist and legislation won’t make a difference. The Opposition tabled a private member’s bill in April that focused on anti-bullying, but it didn’t get government support.

• http://globalnews.ca/news/1999476/dispute-over-effectiveness-of-sask-gay-straight-alliance-policy/
• http://regina.ctvnews.ca/policy-on-gay-straight-alliances-in-schools-effective-says-wall-1.2374502
• http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Saskatchewan+premier+defends+policy+GSAs+schools/11057482/story.html
• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/Policy+GSAs+schools+effective+premier+says/11057715/story.html
• http://www.paherald.sk.ca/Canada—World/Society/2015-05-14/article-4147039/Policy-on-gay-straight-alliances-in-schools-effective:-Saskatchewan-premier/1
• http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Canada—World/Society/2015-05-14/article-4147039/Policy-on-gay-straight-alliances-in-schools-effective:-Saskatchewan-premier/1

Tuesday May 19, 2015

Sask. gov’t weak on gay-straight alliances – Op Ed (LP, SP)
The explanations offered by Education Minister Don Morgan for the provincial government preference for a policy stance instead of legislation to enshrine the right of students to establish gay-straight alliances in schools actually seem to make a better case for enacting a law.

• http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Editorial+Sask+weak+straight+alliances/11064788/story.html
• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/stance+misguided/11064591/story.html

Tuesday May 26, 2015

Letter – Don Cochrane writes in response to NDP pushes government on GSAs

• http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Empty+promise/11082821/story.html

The Sask. Party government refused Thursday to agree to a free vote on whether or not Saskatchewan students should have guaranteed access to a safe space in school through a Gender Sexuality Alliance, also called a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).

The Opposition New Democrats moved an emergency motion to pass Bill 612, The Respect for Diversity – Student Bill of Rights Act, prior to the spring session of the Legislature ending at noon Thursday. The government refused to consent to a debate and vote on the bill.

“This is common sense, and there should be a sense of urgency to get it done – but the government is bending over backwards to prevent a GSA law here in Saskatchewan,” said David Forbes, the NDP’s critic for Diversity, Equality and Human Rights. “We know that over half of all gay teens consider suicide, and we know that GSAs save lives.

“We also know there are a number of students who have been told ‘no’ when they requested a GSA under the current weak policy, and we know there are countless more who are afraid to ask.”

The Respect for Diversity – Student Bill of Rights Act gives every student attending a school that receives public funding the right to form a GSA or a similar club, promoting anti-racism, for example. It also gives students the right to have a disability accommodated, and to have a bullying-free learning environment in which any concerns about bullying can be taken to the school principal or administration, including cyberbullying.

The official Opposition introduced a bill Thursday that will ensure students who request a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA, also known as a Gay-Straight Alliance) at school cannot be denied.

The Respect for Diversity – Student Bill of Rights Act also gives students the right to have any cyber-bullying or other bullying concerns properly addressed by their school administration; and that students have the right to have any disability appropriately accommodated.

The act will apply to all schools that receive public funding.

All three actions were clauses in an Opposition education bill introduced last week, which also called for smaller class sizes, more educational assistant support for students and timely repairs to school buildings. The government refused to debate that bill, challenging it on the grounds that it would cost money to improve schools, and arguing that only ministers are entitled to make budgetary allocations.

“Every student in Saskatchewan, regardless of factors like where they live and what their school community looks like, should be guaranteed fundamental rights,” said David Forbes, NDP critic for Diversity, Equality and Human Rights, who introduced the bill. “We should be entrenching best practices for preventing discrimination and bullying, and promising that those best practices will be followed for every student.”

Matt Gardner, Prince Albert Daily Herald, June 7, 2014

Intermittent rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of participants in this year’s Pride parade.

For many the highlight of Pride Week celebrations in Prince Albert, the annual parade and community rally continues to grow in strength, attracting almost 50 participants from communities across northern Saskatchewan.

“I was really impressed … especially to hear about some people coming from different communities like Duck Lake, James Smith, St. Louis, Meadow Lake, and some attending their very first Pride parade and choosing to do it here,” Prince Albert Q-Network president Jennifer Brockman said.

“It’s always a stressful time organizing it and I wonder, sometimes … are we making a difference?” she added. “That’s when I know we’re making a difference, is (when) I see those couples holding hands, and those people just coming from other communities and attending and celebrating — it just makes it all worthwhile.”

Revelers assembled in front of the Court of Queen’s Bench in the early afternoon before setting out down Central Avenue, attracting supportive honks from many passing vehicles.

Vehicles decked out in rainbow flags paved the way for pedestrians walking behind. One of the vehicles, dubbed the Trans Pride Van, blared trans-friendly music such as Dude (Looks Like A Lady) by Aerosmith and Lola by The Kinks.

The parade route took participants down Central Avenue, west along 28th Street and back down First Avenue West before settling at Kinsmen Park. Participants there enjoyed a range of guest speakers and live entertainment along with a barbecue.

Kicking off the presentations, emcee Stephanie Bourne read out a list of prominent individuals who came out over the last year, such as Canadian actress Ellen Page.

Noting the theme of this year’s Pride Week festivities, “Out and About,” she added, “It’s about honouring ourselves and others and being out — not only to our personal circles, but also in the community and making a difference for those people who don’t have that support group around them.”

In her own remarks, Brockman thanked the work of pioneering activists over the years who helped make Prince Albert more friendly to the LGBTQ community by establishing social support groups and gay-straight alliances (GSAs).

“Anybody who did anything to help support the community, I thank them because they’re the reason that we’re able to be here,” she said.

Other speakers included representatives of communities from across Saskatchewan.

Hailing from Regina was TransSask Support Services co-ordinator Mikayla Schultz, who also helped found the provincial trans support organization.

“It’s great to be here again representing the trans community of Saskatchewan and TransSask Support Services,” Schultz said. “Prince Albert’s always welcoming to us in the trans community and it’s just great to be a part of the festivities.

“As of last year there’s been huge growth for the trans community in Saskatchewan, especially in regards to human rights. We’ve undertaken a human rights awareness campaign called the Time 4 Rights … We encourage all the allies of the transgender community to show their support for gender-diverse people, all gender-diverse people.”

The Time 4 Rights campaign calls for the inclusion of “gender identity” and “gender expression” in the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. Additional information is available at www.time4rights.ca.

Schultz noted that TransSask Support Services is currently in the process of creating a branch in Prince Albert.

“We are actually in the process of establishing one. We’ve made contact with a few trans people in the city here, so (we’re) just trying to get coordinated and appoint a facilitator and hopefully we’ll have a chapter here. We’ve got chapters in Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon already.”

Two-Spirit elder and Duck Lake resident Marjorie Beaucage reiterated the significance of so many LGBTQ individuals from different areas of Saskatchewan attending.

“This is the first time we have so many from away, away,” she said. “It’s really important … Our communities need to support the youth and the people that are not ‘out and about’ yet because it’s not safe.”

Another speaker on Saturday was Saskatoon Centre MLA David Forbes.

As the Saskatchewan NDP critic for human rights, diversity and equity, Forbes annually attends pride parades in other communities across the province, including P.A., Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon.

“There was this demonstration in Weyburn that I was at earlier in April that was talking about protecting human rights for the rainbow community, and so I think it’s just important to get out and stand in support and solidarity as an ally with the community,” Forbes said.

The MLA noted that many challenges still remain when it comes to acceptance and support for the LGBTQ community, pointing to a recent conference in Weyburn that featured a speaker in which “his main thesis was really around hate and not tolerance for the queer community.”

Forbes noted that the NDP is fully supportive of efforts to include gender identity and gender expression in the provincial Human Rights Code.

“It’s important both those pieces are in place,” he said. “Across Canada, we know human rights codes are being amended to be more proactive. We’re behind here in Saskatchewan.”

He also pointed to other ongoing issues, such as the need to have a discussion about gender markers on provincial identification cards and the presence of GSAs at schools in Prince Albert.

“That’s hugely important that kids in our schools have safe spaces,” he said. “So we’ve been advocating in the provincial legislature that they get moving on the bullying legislation and the initiatives that should be there.”

Another speaker represented the progressive role that can be played by faith when it comes to support of the LGBTQ community.

Calvary United Church congregational designated minister Lorelei Clifford noted that the United Church of Canada had “proudly embraced” members of that community since 1988, when the United Church’s 32nd General Council declared that anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ — regardless of sexual orientation –was welcome to membership in the church.

Clifford recently hosted a local Bible study entitled “Queer and Christian Without Contradiction.”

“We specifically looked at Bible readings that have been used to condemn homosexuality and we looked at what they really said and how the Bible as a whole really is talking about God loving everyone,” she said. “It was a really good study.”

Following the speakers, local musician and Search for the Stars winner Daniel LeBlanc offered live entertainment for the crowd.

His set included an original song, Yellow Lines, written specifically for the occasion, with lyrics expressing support for ongoing LGBTQ struggles.

One promising sign of growing acceptance from the younger generation came from nine-year-old Arianna Hovdebo, who attended the parade to support her aunt, Prince Albert Q-Network co-chair Nicole Milas.

Hovdebo offered a cogent summary of one of the day’s key messages.

“It’s OK to love a girl if you’re a girl,” she said. “And it’s OK to love a boy if you’re a boy.”