Regina-born actor Tatiana Maslany took the opportunity Wednesday to publicly criticize Saskatchewan’s controversial Parent’s Bill of Rights.
Maslany made the comments while speaking to reporters following a Canada’s Walk of Fame event at Hotel Saskatchewan.
“It should not be in the control of parents how a child identifies. How a child knows them self to be. That isn’t a parent’s place – it’s an overreach,” she said. “It’s an overreach on the part of the provincial government to legislate that. It’s absurd.”
The legislation, initially known as the pronoun policy, requires parental consent for students under 16 to change their names or pronouns in school.
The policy faced intense criticism after its introduction as a Ministry of Education policy in August of 2023 – later being legally challenged by UR Pride and Egale Canada, which claimed the policy violated the Charter rights of children.
To prevent it being struck down, the provincial government enshrined the policy into law, invoking the notwithstanding clause to shield it from a potential court order.
The legal battle around the policy continues, with the Government of Alberta announcing in April that it intends to intervene in a legal appeal that would prevent a judge from reviewing its constitutionality, even without the threat of a possible court order.
“Children have rights. Children are human beings who have knowledge and who know themselves and we should be taking cues from them. In so many ways, we should be taking cues from them. Listening to them, empowering them to know who they are and to name that,” Maslany continued.
“It’s their right. It’s not the parent’s right.”
As part of her induction into Canada’s Hall of Fame, Maslany received $10,000 to donate to a charity or cause of her choice.
The actor chose Lulu’s Lodge. The five-bedroom facility acts as a transitional home for LGBTQ2S+ youth facing homelessness and is operated by the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan.
Director of operations Tanya Young spoke about how LGBTQS+ youth are facing more challenges in Saskatchewan given the current climate.
“We are still living in a world where drag queens are deemed as predatory and can’t read stories to children. Protesters are present at pride parades. Parents are disowning their children because of sexual orientation,” she explained. “Trans-people are victims of severe violence and schools won’t allow children to use the preferred names and pronouns without parental consent. Homophobia and transphobia are key drivers in youth homelessness.”
Maslany’s donation will go far in providing for youth at the lodge, according to Community Outreach Manager Lorne Gill.
“Well $10,000, that would house 20 youth for a month. So if you want to look at the actual impact that it would have – that’s a lot of youth in the city,” he said. “We often have people that stay for short terms. So even a month respite for somebody and be able to build that foundation is a really big deal.”
Maslany went on to say that she recognizes the support of LGBTQ2S+ community – particularly when speaking about her roles in the series Orphan Black.
“Gratitude at all levels for what that show did for me and also the community that gathered around that show,” she explained. “Which is also what brings me to Lulu’s Lodge – I know how important that show is to so many young 2SLGBTQ kids in seeing themselves reflected and feeling like the show was a safe space.”
