This week's Calgary Herald column from yours truly looks at the immiment itntroduction of reforms to Alberta's human rights regime, and the peculiar inclusion of one particular change:
...It's expected the new human rights legislation will include a parental "opt-out" clause with regard to aspects of education which might offend religious sensibilities. At the same time though, it's a change described by Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett as "symbolic"--as in "meaningless."
But if this change is merely "symbolic,"why include it at all? Something doesn't smell right.
Parents can opt out of some classes now, so there's no need to create such a right. Then, curriculum is provincial jurisdiction anyway, so it's odd to have one provincial ministry protecting us from another.
And, it's hard to see how protecting something under human rights legislation wouldn't make it the purview of a human rights commission. But, it is largely the actions of these commissions that have so many people demanding change. I'm not sure unleashing these commissions on a whole new realm is the change we need. Minister Blackett says Albertans should "wait and see"what the government comes up with and then judge them. Fair enough, but this is a government that floats trial balloons for a reason: to gauge reaction. So here's some: this is pointless and potentially dangerous, sir. Please reconsider.
Yes, parents should have a say in their children's education, and Alberta parents already have plenty of choice. At some point, however, the system needs to take a stand on what is best for all students and tell the wishy-washy and easily offended parents to suck it up.
Take the recent debate over the decision by a New Brunswick school to remove O Canada from the daily routine. This apparently stemmed from the concerns raised by the parents of just two students. Is this the kind of "parental input" we should want, let alone enshrine in legislation? (The popular national sentiment was that parents offended by the national anthem in schools should keep such concerns to themselves.)
But if those concerns stemmed from a religious objection then under Alberta's proposed new changes, such a matter could find itself in the hands of a human rights commission--along with lessons on evolution, sex-ed, or Canadian military history. Under these changes, human rights complaints could be stacking up faster that you can say "On the Origin of Species" and "Vimy Ridge." Yet, all belong in Alberta schools.
Just imagine: we might be the first jurisdiction to have a monkey trial adjudicated by a kangaroo court.
But if this change is merely "symbolic,"why include it at all? Something doesn't smell right.
Parents can opt out of some classes now, so there's no need to create such a right. Then, curriculum is provincial jurisdiction anyway, so it's odd to have one provincial ministry protecting us from another.
And, it's hard to see how protecting something under human rights legislation wouldn't make it the purview of a human rights commission. But, it is largely the actions of these commissions that have so many people demanding change. I'm not sure unleashing these commissions on a whole new realm is the change we need. Minister Blackett says Albertans should "wait and see"what the government comes up with and then judge them. Fair enough, but this is a government that floats trial balloons for a reason: to gauge reaction. So here's some: this is pointless and potentially dangerous, sir. Please reconsider.
Yes, parents should have a say in their children's education, and Alberta parents already have plenty of choice. At some point, however, the system needs to take a stand on what is best for all students and tell the wishy-washy and easily offended parents to suck it up.
Take the recent debate over the decision by a New Brunswick school to remove O Canada from the daily routine. This apparently stemmed from the concerns raised by the parents of just two students. Is this the kind of "parental input" we should want, let alone enshrine in legislation? (The popular national sentiment was that parents offended by the national anthem in schools should keep such concerns to themselves.)
But if those concerns stemmed from a religious objection then under Alberta's proposed new changes, such a matter could find itself in the hands of a human rights commission--along with lessons on evolution, sex-ed, or Canadian military history. Under these changes, human rights complaints could be stacking up faster that you can say "On the Origin of Species" and "Vimy Ridge." Yet, all belong in Alberta schools.
Just imagine: we might be the first jurisdiction to have a monkey trial adjudicated by a kangaroo court.
The rest here.
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