New education minister reiterates Sask. government position on school policies

Education has been right in the middle of the spotlight for the past week after announcements were made about sex education and gender policy changes — and now there’s a new minister at the helm.

Jeremy Cockrill may be the new face of education in government but he’s sticking to the same tune Dustin Duncan was whistling before him when it comes to the policies.

“We hear from parents who are dealing with specific situations, or maybe just more general situations, that want to be more involved in their child’s education. I think what this policy does is it ensures that there’s a similar policy, a consistent policy in all 27 school divisions around the province, and ensures that the default position is that parents have an opportunity and an ability to be included in their child’s education,” Cockrill said Tuesday after swearing the oath to his new position.

He said he’s looking forward to engaging with staff and school divisions on the implementation of the policies and how students can be supported.

“It is the default position of this government that the parent is the most important person in a child’s life, so if you have a child that is looking to transition — looking to identify by a different name or pronoun — that parent is, I think, in the best position to help support that child,” Cockrill explained.

While often when parents are brought into a situation at school it means something bad had happened, Cockrill said the government requiring that parents be brought into a conversation about names and pronouns doesn’t mean the government believes a change is a bad thing.

“What this policy does do though is it reflects that that’s a pretty large decision in a child’s life. If they’re going to choose to transition or identify by a different name or pronoun, that is a major decision,” said Cockrill.

Cockrill said MLAs have heard from parents who didn’t know their child wanted to change their name or pronouns. He couldn’t say how many parents, just explaining MLAs have heard multiple different situations.

“I speak to my colleagues on a regular basis and it’s not a one-off,” said Cockrill.

Everett Hindley, who spoke after Cockrill, said in recent memory he hadn’t heard from any such parents, though he did say he’d heard from many constituents on the issues — the majority in favour of the government’s policy changes.

Hindley is the new head of another of the big three portfolios, health. He acknowledges there are still challenges that need to be addressed in health care, particularly when it comes to recruiting and retaining health-care workers.

“We’ll be actively looking at where we can help build upon the projects and initiatives that we’ve already done, (and) looking for new and creative ways to continue to address that ongoing challenge,” said Hindley.

The other of the big three ministries, social services, will continue to have Gene Makowsky as minister.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify Cockrill’s comments on parents talking to MLAs