Dauphin-area school division decision puts God Save the King on hold

A Manitoba school division's plan to bring God Save the King back to the classroom is on hold after the idea met with controversy.

The majority of trustees with the Mountain View School Division, which oversees 16 schools in and around Dauphin, Man., voted Monday night to pause the plan and see whether it is legally required and supported by area residents.

Trustee Scott Lynxleg, who is from the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve, said he voted to get more information because he's heard from parents and staff that the change could affect Indigenous staff and students.

"Times have changed. This law is outdated. No other school plays it," Lynxleg said in an interview Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the chair of the board, Jason Gryba, issued a directive that the royal anthem must be included in morning announcements at division schools, along with O Canada and land acknowledgments.

The move was based on a little-known provincial regulation that says O Canada must be played at the start of the school day, while God Save the King should be played at the end of the day or the end of opening exercises. The practice has not been enforced for decades, and the Manitoba School Boards Association recently said it was unaware of any other boards that maintain the tradition.

During Monday's school board meeting, Gryba told members that the board must abide by all federal, provincial and local legislation.

"When we swear our oath, we are bound to uphold that law. If there is something in the law we don't like, there are proper avenues to change it," Gryba said in a recording of the meeting obtained by The Canadian Press.

"But we don't have the option to simply stop following it."

The anthem is considered a musical salute to the British monarch. Indigenous groups have spoken out against colonization at the hands of the monarchy.

Lynxleg said he heard feedback form people in the community.

"I got a lot of comments — 'Why did you do this?'" he said.

"Personally, for myself, I do not want to hear it anymore. It's outdated. It's archaic."

First Nations trustee Jarri Thompson put forward a motion to halt adding the royal anthem to announcements until the board can speak with the province and receive feedback from the public.

Gabe Mercier also voted in favour of the motion, telling Gryba it wasn't urgent to implement the policy.

"You should have consulted with the board," Mercier said during the meeting. "We're not trying to undermine the law. We're saying, 'Let us have a procedure by which it can be implemented.'"

Lynxleg said he would like to see the province eradicate the regulation altogether.

Tracy Schmidt, Manitoba's education minister, said a broader regulatory review of education was started before Mountain View's decision, and it includes morning announcement procedures.

She said the work is a balancing act.

"We need to balance the need to recognize and observe patriotism in schools, to recognize the constitutional realities that we exist in here in Canada, but also to balance that against our commitment and our dedication to truth and reconciliation in this province," said Schmidt.

Schmidt did not provide a timeline for when the review would be completed.