Pressure is mounting on the Alberta government over those Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs. Blogger Theresa Ng, who’s been covering this issue ever since the introduction of Bill 10, is asking parents across the province to write to Education Minister David Eggen, and to ask him some specific questions about links to pornographic websites on a government-sponsored page; links that she exposed on her blog last month. She says the letters should be a maximum of one page, and ask the Minister for public assurances that “the people who were responsible for offering this sexually graphic material to children on that government-funded website are not still being entrusted with authority over our children and our education system through things like the curriculum rewrite and resources and teacher training.”

While the letter should be addressed to the Minister, Ng is asking that they be mailed directly to her so she can pass them on. She says last time they initiated a letter-writing campaign to the Minister, it resulted in up to 20-thousand letters, but the government barely acknowledged them because the letters were considered “private”; sent to the minister. This time, she says, she wants to deliver them herself.

Information on where to mail the letters is part way down the page at this link. She’s hoping to have all the letters collected for delivery by May 5.

It’s only been a few weeks since Jason Kenney was elected as leader of the Alberta PC Party and already the debate over parental rights in that province has heated up. Kenney had a meeting with the Post Media editorial board last week, in which he made the case that the government’s current policy on so-called “Gay Straight Alliances” (GSA clubs) might need to be revisited. Specifically, Kenney objected to the notion that schools are not supposed to communicate with parents if their children express same-sex attractions or gender dysphoria; that this information was to be considered confidential.

Here’s what he said, quoted from a transcript of the interview. “I think that parents have a right to know what’s going on with their kids in the schools unless the parents are abusive, in which case there are protocols to deal with bad parents. I don’t think it’s right to keep secrets from parents about challenges their kids are going through. The…education system should be predicated on the presumption that the vast majority of parents are good, loving, caring people who have the best interests of their children at heart.”

Within 24 hours, Alberta’s Education Minister, David Eggen, was calling out Mr. Kenney’s position on the issue, telling reporters that the new PC leader has shown himself as being “quite extreme.”

Reaction to that statement has been swift. Donna Trimble with the group Parents for Choice in Education says she feels like she’s “living in a Monty Python sketch,” because it’s actually the government’s position that is extreme. “The government of Alberta paid for and continues to recommend the Alberta GSA Network to children. (This is a website) that gave them access to sexually graphic materials. And yet (Jason) Kenney – who wants parents to simply know that their children are receiving this care in schools – is called the extremist.”

ARPA Education Consultant Harry Moes has also been watching this situation, and he says Kenney’s position seems reasonable. “For almost all programs in a public or independent school, parental permission is required. (If you’re) a member of a school basketball team (or) a school band, when you’re going on an excursion – it doesn’t matter what the situation is – parents always need to be informed about the activities in which their children are involved.” Which begs the question, Moes says, of why involvement in GSA clubs should be automatically excluded. He says Kenney is “speaking the language” of the majority of the citizens of Alberta, and that his position “resonates” with the rank and file of Albertans.

While Kenney has indicated he’s not prepared to scrap Bill 10 altogether, Moes says the hope is that there might be some room for specific amendments on the issue of parental rights.

Alberta Education Minister David Eggen has issued what amounts to an ultimatum to two small Baptist schools near Edmonton on the issue of so-called Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs (GSAs). Alberta legislation requires schools to allow the institution of those clubs if even one student asks for them. The principal of the Baptist schools has openly said he will not comply with that. Now, Minister Eggen has published a Ministerial Order which tells the schools they must comply. The Order came after Eggen released a report which argues the schools should lose their accreditation if they continue to defy the government.

John Carpay from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is acting for the schools and says this Ministerial Order is extremely heavy-handed. “The schools are complying with the legislation,” Carpay says. “The only way they would be in non-compliance would be if there’s a student that asked to start a Gay-Straight Alliance, and the school refused to do that. Then you’d have a situation where the law is not being followed.” However, Carpay says, these schools “have a problem with a law that orders them to set up clubs and activities that are hostile to the mission and vision and values and purpose of the school.”

The government cannot violate the right of parents to decide the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”

Carpay says if this matter ends up in court, he’s pretty sure Bill 10 – which is the law that mandates those GSA clubs – will be found unconstitutional. “The Supreme Court (of Canada), in the Loyola case, said that parents have a right to transmit their faith and their values to their children, and schools have a Charter right to provide the kind of atmosphere and culture and learning environment that parents want. The government cannot violate the right of parents to decide the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”

It’s not clear yet if this case is going to court, but ARPA is looking at the legal and constitutional implications of the Ministerial Order, and considering applying for intervener status if this case ends up before a judge.

There’s more reaction this week to the latest developments on Bill 10 in Alberta. That’s the law that mandates the creation of so-called gay-straight alliance clubs in all schools in the province if children ask for them. A few weeks ago, Education Minister David Eggen conceded that the issue was “legally complicated.” The comment came in connection with a report he received on what to do about two small Baptist schools near Edmonton, who have announced they will be openly defying that new law.

Donna Trimble with Parents for Choice in Education says the minister’s statement isn’t surprising. “I’m fairly certain that Minister Eggen has been informed that if he challenges these two small Baptist schools on the fact that they do not feel comfortable integrating a queer-straight alliance in their school  – because it contradicts their religious freedoms – that he’s going to have a Constitutional battle on his hands.”

Trimble says this proves the point that her group has been making all along. The law, she says, must be amended to “once again respect the natural authorities in the education system. So that would start with parents as the primary educators of their children; their right to be notified and informed of what’s happening with their children in school, followed by the ability of the administrations in the schools to provide the care to children needed… in a way that is appropriate for the foundations of the schools themselves.”

There was a new development in the Alberta Education sector last week. Education Minister David Eggen appears to be backing away from plans to insist that all schools – including independent and Christian schools – will have to live by Bill 10 and the province’s policies on transgenderism in the classroom. He told the National Post  that an inquiry into two Edmonton area schools which are refusing to follow the policy has unearthed unexpected legal implications and the situation is “more complicated” than they had originally foreseen.

ARPA Education consultant Harry Moes says the Minister has had that report in his hands for more than two months, and it appears Eggen is “stepping back” and recognizing that “the rule of law does need to respect the religious rights of parents.”

There’s no indication on when the report might be released.

On May 14th, 2016, a rally for upholding parental rights and responsibilities was held in front of the Alberta Legislature. Speaking courageously to a crowd of thousands of supporters (as well as dozens of counter-protesters), Rev. Tony Roukema urged the people to fight any law that would make us “love less”.

Alberta’s provincial government is forcing upon our schools a totalitarian, one-size-fits-all regime of “gender guidelines,” and they’re doing so without even a vote in the Legislature. You can read ARPA’s full analysis of these guidelines, and how they undermine faith, family, and reason here.

Among many other things, these “guidelines” mean that a male student can “self-identify” as female and enter our girls’ change rooms. They also mean any gender specific talk of “mom” or “dad” or “girls” or “boys” must be discouraged and changed to “neutral” terms like “parents.” Yes, that includes in private Christian schools as well.

The guidelines would impose upon our schools the most extreme form of so-called “gender ideology.” The Alberta government is undermining the role of parents as educators and the independence of school boards, including faith-based schools.

(more…)

Dear {MP},

I’m calling in response to the Education guidelines that have been required of all schools by the Ministry of Education.

Rather than listening to the medical testimony and the positions of many international psychological and health organizations this government is pushing ahead with what it considers to be the right path. Most concernincly, the encouragement of conditioning of children with hormones, surgeries and other dangerous medical practices enforces this process as valid and even as ideal. Yet this government is sponsoring this move and forcing the schools to get on side as well without proper evidence, and using our children as guinea pigs.

High rates of suicide amongst those with gender dysphoria shows that this is not something that should be played around with. People’s lives are at stake. Children are becoming the experiment. We need to use the Precautionary Principle in this instance and ensure that what we are doing does not cause more harm than good.

The guidelines from the education minister are rooted in a secular understanding of sexuality, gender, and parental authority and rely on the strong arm of the State to force parents and schools to promote this ideology.

I ask you to reconsider these guidelines, and enact policies that work to protecting children, not abusing them.

Thank you.


ARPA Canada is pleased to share another resource with our supporters. In provinces across the country, education policy continues to evolve, and usually for the worse. In particular, new policies and programs are being developed and implemented that directly undermine parental authority, advance a particularly hedonist sexual ethic, and openly attack the Judeo-Christian worldview.

These bills, curricula and policies impose a one-size-fits-all approach to issues of bullying, religion, and sexual ethics on all schools in their provinces, including independent, parent-run schools.

This Christian critique is ARPA Canada’s principled, Biblical response to these policy changes. We hope you’ll give it a read, share it with friends, and also let us know what you think of it. If there are ways to improve the document, we welcome your input and advice!

Update (July 20, 2015): Read this article from Large Family Mothering that addresses some of the lies that are reinforced by the public school system.

 

As many of our Albertan readers know, Bill 10, hastily passed before the election with major amendments, radically reworked the Education Act, Schools Act and the Alberta Human Rights Act. Bill 10 is problematic for many reasons, principally because it undermines parental rights, threatens religious and associational freedom, and promotes nonsensical public policy. For more about the problems of Bill 10, see our earlier analysis here. Also, we encourage you to read and share this call-to-action letter mailed to all of our ARPA supporters in Alberta.

We’re happy to share with you another resource and call to action. Please watch this video discussion between ARPA’s executive director Mark Penninga and ARPA’s lawyer André Schutten about Bill 10. Share it with your friends and family. And then follow up on the action items they mention in the video. 

You can also print the petition at this link (and read the fact sheets) and bring it to your school, workplace, church or neighbourhood and get as many friends, family and colleagues to sign it.

You can also send an EasyMail letter right now to your local MLA. We have three to choose from.

Please also use Facebook to share this action item by clicking “share” at the bottom of this article.