A Manitoba judge has rejected a request from a trustee in the Mountain View School Division who wanted to mandate the singing of the national anthem, “God Save the King,” in schools. Paul Coffey initiated legal action to challenge the decision of fellow trustees who voted to halt the implementation of daily singing of the anthem.
The directive to have students sing the royal anthem was issued by the board chair in January, citing legislation that required its playing at the end of the school day or after opening exercises, although this rule had not been enforced for several years. Coffey accused the trustees who voted to pause the plan of violating their oath of office, which includes allegiance to the monarch and their heirs.
In response, Coffey claimed that the resolution was illegal and part of a broader pattern of governance failures. He emphasized that if the board disagreed with the law, they should pursue lawful avenues for change rather than disregarding it. However, Justice Sandra Zinchuk ruled that the matter should be addressed within the trustee code of conduct, stating that there was no legal basis for court intervention based on Coffey’s argument.
The judge clarified that the section of the Public Schools Act referenced by Coffey was intended for conflict-of-interest cases and did not apply in this situation. Last year, following controversial decisions by the board, a review of the MVSD board was ordered by the province. The NDP government introduced a bill to end the anthem requirement in March, which was delayed by the Progressive Conservatives.