A Manitoba judge has rejected a request from a trustee of the Mountain View School Division who aimed to mandate the rendition of “God Save the King” in schools. Paul Coffey lodged a court application in June, alleging that fellow trustees had breached the law by voting to halt a proposal that would have required students in the Dauphin-based division to sing the royal anthem daily.
The school division’s board chair issued the directive in mid-January, citing legislation that mandated the anthem be played either at the end of the school day or after opening exercises, although this regulation had not been enforced for several years. Coffey, in an affidavit, accused six trustees who supported delaying the implementation of the plan until a review and consultations were conducted of violating their oath of office, which obligates them to show allegiance to King Charles III and his heirs.
Coffey contended that the resolution was illegal and formed part of a broader trend of governance failures and overreach in jurisdiction. He suggested that if the board disagreed with the law, they should pursue lawful avenues for change. Justice Sandra Zinchuk, in a written ruling on September 19, stated that while Coffey argued there was no internal mechanism to address the issue, it did not provide a legal basis for court intervention.
Zinchuk emphasized that the trustee’s complaint was more suited for consideration under the MVSD trustee code of conduct, as it alleged that the respondent trustees were purposefully neglecting to enforce provincial law. She clarified that the section of the Public Schools Act cited by the trustee to justify legal action was intended solely for conflict-of-interest cases.
Following remarks made by Coffey during a board meeting last year about residential schools, which he described as having begun positively, the province initiated a review of the MVSD board. Subsequently, the board made a series of contentious decisions. However, trustees elected last autumn have opposed the “God Save the King” directive. The NDP government introduced a bill in March to abolish the requirement, but the Progressive Conservatives delayed its progress.