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Shelley Svidal, ATA News
Since its introduction April 28, Bill 44, Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Amendment Act, 2009, has eclipsed most other issues raised in question period. Below are highlights of some of the exchanges that took place April 27–May 14.
April 29—Alleging that Premier Ed Stelmach had suggested the preceding day that the teaching of evolution would become optional if parents objected on religious grounds, New Democrat Leader Brian Mason asked Stelmach why the government was prepared to allow some children to be denied a balanced, scientific and objective education. Stelmach responded by describing Mason’s comments as “totally wrong” and asked Mason to withdraw them. Mason asked Stelmach how far the government was prepared to go to allow parental choice based on religious views to affect what children are taught. Stelmach replied that the government supports “parental rights with respect to education.” Noting that the media sometimes tries to “crank up the emotion,” he added that the amendments in Bill 44 confirm existing parental rights described in Alberta Education’s Guide to Education. Suggesting that the government’s $25 million rebranding campaign makes Alberta “look like Northumberland and sound like Arkansas,” Mason asked Stelmach when the government would start portraying Albertans as modern, progressive and culturally sophisticated. Stelmach replied that there is no caucus in Canada more diverse than the government caucus.
May 5—Mason asked Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett what groups had been urging the government to protect parental rights. Blackett named a group of Alberta faith leaders, including Bishop Fred Henry, with whom he had met over a year ago. Mason asked Blackett to confirm that every member of the group had urged the government to create the three categories of religion, sexuality and sexual orientation in the bill. Blackett responded by pointing to the May 5 Calgary Herald, in which Bishop Henry expresses disappointment that the government did not go further with the bill. Blackett suggested that Mason contact every member of the group himself.
May 5—Laurie Blakeman (LIB—Edmonton-Centre) asked Blackett whether proposed section 11.1 of the Alberta Human Rights Act could be used to launch a human rights complaint against a teacher, a school or a school board. Blackett replied that, if the cause of the complaint were covered in the act, then there would be an opportunity to present a case to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. He added that school boards and school systems have other avenues for dealing with some of the issues. Blakeman reiterated her question, pointing out that she was referring specifically to religion, sexuality and sexual orientation. “It’s a legal issue. It’s cause for speculation,” Blackett replied. Blakeman asked Blackett to commit to covering the legal fees incurred by teachers, schools and school boards. Suggesting that Blakeman had not asked a reasonable question, Blackett replied that he would not subject the government to that expense.
May 6—Citing the news release issued that morning by the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the Alberta School Boards Association, the Alberta School Councils’ Association and the College of Alberta School Superintendents and claiming that the four organizations were saying that the New Democrats were right, Mason asked Blackett whether the government was willing to delete proposed section 11.1 of the act. Speaker Ken Kowalski cautioned MLAs against discussing a bill that was up for debate that afternoon. Blackett added that he did not read anything in the news release suggesting the four organizations were saying the New Democrats were right. Mason asked Blackett whether, given that there was no consultation with the four organizations, the government would withdraw the bill until the organizations’ concerns were addressed. “No. That’s not the way it works. We have rules that we follow. We’re moving on,” Kowalski said.
May 7—Blakeman asked Blackett to define religion as the government was using it for the purposes of the act. [W]e don’t have a definition that we’re using,” Blackett replied. “We’re referring to the curriculum that the Department of Education is using and what they determine religious instruction is with respect to the curriculum.” Blakeman asked Blackett whether all religions are equal under the act, for example, Christianity, Islam, Wicca and Falun Gong. Blackett replied that, in proposed section 11.1, the government was talking about religion as an area of study. Blakeman asked Blackett to describe the difference between a religion and a cult for the purposes of government policy. Accusing Blakeman of making “a spurious comment,” Blackett replied that the government is talking about “religious content as it appears in the boundaries of the curriculum of the school boards, nothing more, nothing less.”
May 11—Liberal Leader David Swann asked Stelmach why he had allowed proposed section 11.1 to be included in the bill. “Bill 44 confirms the existing situation – existing situation – that exists in policy, to opt out of religious instruction and sex education. It does not give parents the right to opt out of other instruction on religious grounds,” Stelmach replied.
May 12—Blakeman asked Blackett what definition of sexuality the government was using to guide policy development. Blackett replied that the government was using the same definition as everyone else; namely, human sexuality. Blakeman asked Blackett what information the government used to decide to employ the term sexuality in the bill. Blackett replied that the government used common sense. Blakeman asked Minister of Education Dave Hancock how the curriculum would determine what is considered sexuality. “What that refers to, of course, is sex education,” Hancock replied. “[W]e’re not really worried about the sex education of frogs or of buffalo.”
Transcripts of education related debate
A transcript of education-related debate is available on the Association’s website at www.teachers.ab.ca under Alberta’s Education System > Eye on Education in Alberta > Highlights from the Assembly. The status of bills and motions of interest to the Association are tracked at Alberta’s Education System > Eye on Education in Alberta > Bills and Motions > 2009.
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