August, 2014

This September, a new Premier will be chosen for Alberta. Who is chosen will have a significant impact on home educators as the Home Education Regulation has not yet been completed, with not even a draft being made available to AHEA. Given the deadline of August 2015 for Royal Ascent of the Education Act, the views of the new Premier on education and home education specifically will be very important.

Candidates Views on Education: Parent's for Choice in Education prepared a questionnaire which included questions on home education. Ric McIver responded directly to the questions. Thomas Lukaszuk and Jim Prentice provided statements outlining their views on education. http://parentchoice.ca/pc-leadership-survey/

AHEA's Government Liaison, Patty Marler, met with Ric McIver and he stated strong support for home education. Repeated requests to meet with Mr. Prentice have not been responded to. Mr. Lukaszuk made his views on home education clear as Education Minister in 2012. ( http://www.aheaonline.com/index.php/political-updates ) You can learn more about each of the candidates and their positions on a variety of issues on their individual websites.

You and your youth can make a significant difference:

The process developed by the PC Party for choosing the next Premier, encourages and allows all Albertans age 14 and over to vote. A vote in September will carry 15-25 times more weight than a general election vote. (It is speculated that only 50 000 - 100 000 Albertans will vote in the September PC election compared to 1.29 million in the 2012 general election.)

To Vote:

1. Purchase a $10 membership through a candidate or the PC party prior to September 3, 2014.

 

 Ric McIver http://www.ricmciver.com/

 Jim Prentice http://www.jimprentice.ca/

 Thomas Lukaszuk http://lukaszuk.ca/

http://www.pcalberta.org/1345-2/

2. Vote on-line September 5-6 (prior to 6pm)