Manitoba school division to bring ‘God Save the King’ back to classrooms

A school division in western Manitoba has decided to once again include “God Save the King” in its schools’ morning announcements, a move that has some questioning whether it promotes reconciliation efforts with Indigenous staff and students.

The Mountain View School Division, which oversees 16 schools near Dauphin, Man., recently put forward a directive that the royal anthem must be included in announcements, along with O Canada and land acknowledgments.

Board chair Jason Gryba, in an email, said the inclusion of “God Save the King” aligns with existing provincial legislation.

“Good governance is about adhering to laws and regulations that are in place, regardless of how often they may have been previously observed,” Gryba said Thursday.

“While some legislation may become less prominent over time, it remains our responsibility to uphold it as long as it is valid … I am surprised that a school division choosing to follow legislation would be considered newsworthy.”

The Schools Patriotic Observances Regulation outlines that 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. The practice has not been enforced for many years, with many schools abandoning it.

Sandy Nemeth of the Manitoba School Boards Association, which represents the province’s 38 school boards, said she has not heard of any other boards that have resurrected the tradition.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society also has questions about how parents and educators were consulted on the decision and the reasoning for enforcing it now.

“Why is it happening in this school division, and in the era where we’re all supposed to be working on reconciliation, is this actually going to do more harm than good?” said society president Nathan Martindale.

“The ultimate question is, do we still need this regulation?”

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

The school division has previously come under fire after comments made by a school trustee on Indigenous people and residential schools led to condemnation from many quarters and a review by the Manitoba government.

Board trustee Paul Coffey told a school board meeting last year that residential schools were a positive thing and questioned the extent of abuse at the schools.

Cam Bennett, a recently retired teacher in Dauphin, said the school division has made it a priority to address reconciliation efforts over the past two years, but this seems like a step backward.

“It just seems to be a throwback to another … no longer needed antiquated tradition,” he said in an interview.

“It just seems to be very arbitrary, and it’s certainly not a step towards reconciliation.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he would respect the autonomy of the school board but that his government is looking at changing the regulation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

— With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg.