Quotes from the Alberta Hansard

Quotations from the Hansard (the debate transcript), Alberta Legislative Assembly, March 2012

Thursday March 8 2012 Afternoon

Page 407 – Ms. Blakeman:

So those are accommodations. Nowhere is there a constitutional right to home-schooling. Nowhere is there a constitutional or Charter right to a Métis settlement school. Nowhere in the Constitution or the Charter is there a right to distance learning or to home-schooling or to private schools. Those are accommodations that the province has seen in its authority to be able to say: “We will allow this. We will offer it.” We have to keep that in mind as we go through the rest of this act, and I'm assuming it's going to take us awhile to debate our way through here. Anybody who wants to write to me now, I hope you read what I just said because I'm kind of sticky about this stuff. Don't come at me talking about your right to something unless you're going to be able to have read that Constitution before.
Thank you so much.

Tuesday March 13 2012 Evening

p 484:  Mr. Anderson:

The Wildrose caucus, of course, believes very strongly in school choice and parental choice in education.We're very supportive of our public school system, of our Catholic separate school system, of independent schools, charter schools, private schools, both nonprofit private schools as well as the for-profit private schools although
those are very much in the minority, and, of course, of the home-schoolers

p. 484:  Mr. Anderson:

There is nothing more frustrating for a parent than feeling that they don't have any option with regard to educating their children that is appropriate to them.

…

I do want to note … that we actually feel that school choice is a fundamental human right. In the UN declaration of human rights it says specifically that parents have the right to decide what education is appropriate for their children. That's in the UN declaration of human rights.

…

You know, we can't pick and choose all the time. Human rights are human rights, and we need to be respectful of them in that context. (finishes on p. 485)

p. 499 – 500:  Mr. Lukaszuk:

Thank you. We all know, Mr. Chairman, that change can create concerns and anxiety among those impacted by change. We also know that in a society as diverse as ours, there is always a balance to be struck between individual values and beliefs and the values and beliefs of society as a whole. Our education system, Mr. Chairman, must strike this balance. It must both respect individual values and beliefs and reflect the common values and beliefs of Albertans as embodied by foundational legislation such as the Alberta Human
Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I want to ensure that Bill 2 appropriately strikes this balance and addresses a concern that has been raised by many Albertans since the introduction of Bill 2; namely, the role of parents and family life in a child's education.

This is important for all families in Alberta, of course, but for families who choose home education for their children, this is of special significance. For these students, learning happens in the home and is integrated into the family's life rather than at a set time of the day.

The crux of the matter, Mr. Chairman, lies in three elements already contained in the Education Act. One, the Education Act speaks to the government of Alberta's commitment to providing choice to Alberta families in education programs and methods of learning. Two, the Education Act also speaks about religion, and like in the School Act it allows parents to exclude their children from religious instruction or exercise. Three, there are certain elements in the Education Act, some new additions and some retained from the
School Act, that reinforce the role of parents within a child's education. These concepts together play a foundational role in a child's education and, indeed, in a child's life.

However, I believe that it is necessary to clarify and articulate the connection between these three concepts. We heard from a number of home-schooling parents that they were concerned that the legislation was not clear. They were concerned that government was requiring that they teach things they do not agree with. Let me be clear, Mr. Chairman. We believe that parents determine the religious instruction of their children. Let me underscore that.
We believe that parents determine the religious instruction of their children.

Accordingly, I propose to add a new statement to the preamble of the EducationAct to read as follows:

Whereas the Government of Alberta recognizes that parents have a right tochoose the religious and ethical traditions in which their children are raised; that a child's education begins in the home; that parents play a foundational role in the moral and spiritual formation of their children; and that these principles are reflected in the commitment of the Government of Alberta to provide parents with choice in education, including public schools, separate schools, Francophone schools, charter schools, private schools and home education programs;

This amendment to the preamble honours the government of Alberta's commitment to choice, to respecting conscientiously held spiritual beliefs and ethical traditions, and to respecting parents' rights when it comes to these very important matters. Mr. Chairman, at this point I conclude, and I adjourn the debate.

Wednesday March 14 2012 Afternoon

p. 516-517:  Ms.Blakeman:

So we know that the public schools are definitely protected and listed [in the Constitution] specifically. The separate schools are. The francophone schools are. But charter, private, and home-education programs are not. Well, what are they? If we're going to put them in a preamble, what are they? Well, I believe – and I'm going to, I hope, get corrected by legal jurisprudence experts – they would be called an accommodation, or a privilege that is extended by a body such as this government. So this government is going to agree to accommodate them. There's no requirement that the government do that, but they can accommodate, and they have here included them as an accommodation: charter schools, private schools, and home-education programs.

…

Home education. There are reasons for doing home education. I know two people quite well, one who was home educated and one who did home education for their child. They had very good reasons for doing so. Here's my  hesitation. I want to make sure that kids that are home-schooled, in fact, end up with that same level of education. I do not want to hear, as some of the letters I've received have pointed out to me, that they are offended that they might be restricted from teaching their child that the homosexual act is a sin. That disturbs me to my core. It is not something that I would like to think we are educating our children to believe. Children are born without discrimination. I don't want to have it in Alberta, in my province, that we would be having a publicly funded system in which that is being taught as part of school, as part of education.

Now, let's go back to the preamble that we're debating. The government recognizes that parents have a right to choose the religious and ethical traditions in which their children are raised; that a child's education begins in the home; that parents play a foundational role in the moral and spiritual formation of their children; and that these principles are reflected in the commitment of the Government of Alberta to provide parents with choice in education, including public schools, separate schools, Francophone schools, charter schools, private schools and home education.

*

Monday March 19 2012 Afternoon Question Period

p. 605-606 Alberta Human Rights Act

Mr. Anderson: Mr. Speaker, some of the worst human rights violations of free speech and freedom of religion in Canada over the past decade or so have been at the hands of the Alberta human rights tribunal under section 3 of the Human Rights Act. This Premier during the PC leadership told several media outlets that “section 3 of the Alberta Human Rights Act should be repealed.”

To the Premier: that's a pretty clear promise. Are you breaking yet another promise that you made in order to get elected PC leader?

Mr. Olson: Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member for the question. I will remind the member that in my mandate letter the Premier asked me to investigate whether we should repeal or amend section 3 of Human Rights Act. I've had responsibility for the Human Rights Act for about four or five months now. Work is under way to review not only section 3, but I want to have an understanding of how the Human Rights Commission is operating. I would just ask the hon. member to stay tuned. I'm working on it.

Mr. Anderson: She said that she would repeal section 3, not  review it. It's called telling the truth.

Given the outpouring of opposition to Bill 2 by thousands of parents across this province who are very concerned that parts of Bill 2 trample on the paramount rights of parents over choices involving their children's education, why will you not now get rid of section 3 of the Alberta Human Rights Act and also amend Bill 2 to protect the human rights of Alberta's parents? Why will you not listen to their concerns?