Saskatchewan. Party’s Moe says he didn’t know identities of kids in locker room complaint

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said he did not know the two children of an NDP candidate and that their use of a school locker room was the subject of a complaint when he made an election promise on the issue.

Moe said last week that his first order of business, if his party is re-elected on Oct. 28, would be to ban “biological boys” from using school locker rooms with “biological girls.”

The promise came after Moe said he learned of a complaint about two biological males changing for a gymnastics class with girls at a school in southeastern Saskatchewan.

A parent of the two children is an NDP candidate.

Moe told reporters Monday that he learned of the complaint last week and that reporters later asked him about it during a campaign stop.

“It was maybe a day before that, there were discussions,” he said at a campaign event in Martensville, just north of Saskatoon.

“The deadlines are – they are what they are. »

Get the latest national news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.

Moe’s promise of a provincial directive directing all school boards to follow a locker room rule was not previously included in his party’s campaign document.

“This is a policy based on the fact that we will strive to support every student in every classroom, in every school, in every community in this province,” Moe said Monday.

He answered “no” when asked if he knew at the time who the children were.

He also said the Saskatchewan Party played no role in sharing information about the NDP candidate’s children.

“I’ve never spoken to any of the people, and I won’t, and no one should,” Moe said.

Last week, Moe said of the locker room complaint: “It came to light over the last couple of days. We may have already heard rumors or ideas about this.

“If we are re-elected, that would be the first thing on the agenda. »

LGBTQ+ advocates said Moe’s locker room commitment put transgender youth at risk.

NDP Leader Carla Beck said the Saskatchewan Party is playing gutter politics and such a rule would make vulnerable children even more vulnerable.

Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased student support.

People also want better health care and being able to afford gas and groceries, she said.

Last year, Moe’s government used the notwithstanding clause to pass a law that prevents children under 16 from changing their name or pronoun at school without their parents’ consent.

Beck said his party would repeal the law if it formed a government.

&copy 2024 The Canadian Press