Vote flips threatened after sex education controversy
Education minister flooded with messages before instituting ban
More than a dozen emails and letters sent to government officials in the wake of the Planned Parenthood Regina scandal at Lumsden School hint at shifting loyalty to the Saskatchewan Party over the summer.
On June 20, the non-profit organization delivered a sexual health presentation to Grade 9 students, where a student took home a non-approved set of ABC sex cards tailored to LGBTQ+ audiences from PPR'S resources.
The incident circulated widely on social media, bolstered by Saskatchewan United Party (SUP) leader Nadine Wilson, though the organization and school asserted it was a mistake and was not part of the official presentation to students.
Two days later, then-education minister Dustin Duncan banned the non-profit from presenting in schools until the end of the year, but said it did not “preclude them from, in the future, being a part of delivering resources and information into the classroom.”
By Aug. 22, the temporary ban became an indefinite removal, and was expanded to include all third-party organizations.
In those two months, a freedom of information request received by the Leader-post has shown a large volume of emails, letters and phone-call memos were sent to the education minister, nearly all calling for firmer action from government.
The Leader-post asked for “any and all correspondence involving the minister of education's office regarding sexual education, Lumsden School and Planned Parenthood” from June 19 to Aug. 25, 2023.
A total 225 records were returned, 178 timestamped before Duncan's announcement on Aug. 22 banning all third party organizations from teaching.
Of those, 158 spoke negatively about Planned Parenthood, LGBTQ+ inclusion and the offering of sexual health education in schools.
More than two dozen directly or indirectly called government's initial response in June “weak,” and all sought stronger action moving forward.
Calls were universally for a permanent removal of PPR from Saskatchewan schools, with nearly half also seeking comprehensive sex-ed redacted from the curriculum.
Twenty people called for government to pursue criminal charges against Planned Parenthood. Saskatchewan RCMP did investigate the incident, but had not pressed any charges at the time of publication.
A dozen individuals stated intentions to change their voting direction if the Saskatchewan Party government did not take a stronger stance. Equally as many demanded a “strong statement” from officials, and said they are “watching closely.”
Most were sent during the byelection period for the Lumsden-morse riding, before voters went to the polls on Aug. 10.
“You seem to be forgetting who your voters are and what they stand for,” wrote one individual, on June 22.
“I trust you are listening to your voters, not the loud activists,” wrote another.
The Sask. United Party is mentioned several times, both directly and indirectly. One individual attached a SUP newsletter email, and claimed Moe and his caucus were not taking action.
Several people said they attended a town hall hosted by the SUP on July 5, about the incident and more than 30 sent a form letter saying they listened to “a candidate for MLA for Lumsden-morse” on the issue.
“Look for the Sask United Party to make increasing inroads on our province's political landscape if the Saskatchewan Party fails to start supporting as well as defending faith/religion and moral issues,” wrote one person on July 18.
“If you cannot step up and be a leader then you will not have my vote in the upcoming byelection,” says another, on July 19.
“Remember the silent majority support conservative moral values. If you want our votes you will represent our views,” reads an email, sent two days after the byelection was over.
SUP'S Jon Hromek claimed 22 per cent of the vote on Aug. 10 for Lumsden-morse, just slightly more than Saskatchewan NDP'S Kaitlyn Stadnyk.
Legal arguments in a Regina court revealed in the fall that the Ministry of Education began working on the parental consent for pronouns policy on Aug. 9.
“Byelections are about voters sending a message and now it's up to our government to listen and to act on that message that was sent here this week,” Moe said on Aug. 11, after the byelections.
Fourteen others, writing both before and after the Aug. 22 ban was issued, accuse the Sask. Party of “pandering to anti-queer anti-trans activists,” in “a voting tactic to appease the far right.”
“Let me assure you, minister, that you have not acted for all parents,” one person who identifies themselves as a parent and teacher wrote to Duncan.
“I fear for the future in this environment you're creating,” writes another.
A significant portion of the oppositional letters do include language often used by anti-transgender or far-right ideologies, calling PPR “woke” and “propaganda,” seeking the “indoctrination” and “sexualization” of children.
Many described the non-profit as offering “fetish” and “deviant” material, calling the cards involved in the Lumsden incident “filth,” all phrases used to target and dehumanize LGBTQ+ lifestyles.
The SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) 123 program, campaigned against by ANTI-LGBTQ+ groups like Action 4 Canada for “causing harm to children,” is mentioned 67 times, or in one-quarter of the records, and is called “evil” several times.
It is an educational program from B.c.-based ARC Foundation that provides resources to teachers to include gender and sexual-orientation diversity in curriculums.
It has been adopted into Alberta and B.C.'S school systems. Saskatchewan was to introduce SOGI 123 materials in September.