Gallaway at yesterday’s protest in Edmonton.
The Council of Canadians is opposed to Bill 10 in Alberta.
We were present at a rally yesterday afternoon at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton to demonstrate our opposition to the bill.
CBC reports, “Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman started the debate when she introduced [Bill 202] a private member’s bill last month to make gay-straight alliance clubs mandatory in schools where students want them. …The province’s Progressive Conservative Party introduced [their Bill 10] legislation on Monday, which effectively killed [this] private member’s bill… The proposed Tory legislation would have given students the option of appealing to the Court of Queen’s Bench if the school refused permission for an alliance.”
“Public outrage compelled the government to pass an amendment that sends students to the education minister instead.” And now, “Third reading of Bill 10, a controversial bill about student-led gay-straight alliances, has been put on hold for more consultation, says Alberta Premier Jim Prentice. …NDP Leader Rachel Notley believes the government should trash the bill [rather than just putting it on pause]. …Blakeman said she will now ask if her bill can be resurrected.”
CTV explains, “Gay-straight alliances are after-school clubs made up of gay students and their classmates to help gay students feel welcome and to prevent them from being abused and bullied. According to the Journal of Research on Adolescence, the rate of suicide among gay youth drops significantly when a school has a GSA. There are [45 clubs] in schools in Edmonton and Calgary but none in rural areas or faith-based schools. Catholic school officials have resisted the clubs, saying they already have supports to make all kids feel included.”
Our Edmonton-based regional organizer Chris Gallaway adds, “Up to 40 per cent of homeless teens identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, they are eight times more likely to commit suicide, they often feel like their school is a hostile place, and a rising number of homeless LGBTQ teens in Canada have been cast out by religious families.”
Gallaway asks, “Why doesn’t Jim Prentice’s government think that it is their job to ensure LGBTQ youth have schools where they feel safe, where their rights are protected, and where they are protected from the whims of school board trustees.”
The Council of Canadians calls on the Prentice government to withdraw Bill 10.
