PCE CONFRONTING BILL 24 IN THE COURTS
On behalf of our thousands of supporters, we have joined forces with courageous families, schools and organizations across Alberta.
As stated in an April 5th news release from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF):
“The Justice Centre has filed a court application on behalf of a coalition of parents and independent schools, challenging the constitutionality of School Act provisions added by Bill 24, An Act to Support Gay-Straight Alliances.
The Justice Centre seeks to strike down provisions of Bill 24 as violating the rights of parents and schools protected by section 2 and section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Alberta Bill of Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The court application also seeks an injunction, so the new law will not be in force for the duration (one to three years) of this court application.” [READ MORE]
JCCF issued a media advisory later this month that the Bill 24 injunction hearing has been postponed:
“…a hearing of the Bill 24 court injunction application has been postponed to June 8, 2018, at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Medicine Hat. This hearing was previously scheduled to take place April 26, 2018. A hearing for interim relief is scheduled to occur on May 3, 2018, in Calgary. A date to hear the substantive court application is still pending.” [READ MORE]
We call on you, our PCE supporters, to add your names to an online declaration of support for the court challenge in order to encourage those fighting on the frontlines against this unjust law and to send a message to our political representatives that we will no longer accept legislation that undermines our families and our freedoms.
SIGN A DECLARATION OF SUPPORT FOR THE COURT CHALLENGE HERE
After you have signed your own support, we urge you to also share the information with your family, friends, neighbours and coworkers, encouraging them to also show their support.
CELEBRATE SUCCESSES
1. AHEA CONVENTION
PCE attended the Alberta Home Education Association (AHEA) Convention April 13-14 in Red Deer, the largest homeschooling convention in western Canada.
Our Exhibit Hall booth (see picture below) was an excellent opportunity to connect with many PCE supporters in-person, while also spreading awareness of important education information to many more people. Thank you to our donors for making this event possible.
2. PRESENTATIONS
Throughout the month of April Donna Trimble and Theresa Ng had the honour of presenting at a number of locations in Alberta to groups ranging in size from 25 to 200+. We thank each and every person who invests time to attend these presentations to be informed and equipped to take action!
NOTE: Only people who have signed up on our website with a postal code will receive notifications of PCE presentations in their specific area. Even if you receive emails, ensure you have provided your postal code at www.parentchoice.ca
3. UCP SURVEY RESPONSES
Many PCE supporters invested time to complete the online United Conservative Party (UCP) policy surveys before the April 23rd deadline. Thank you!
Our email statistics show that over 1,200 people clicked on the link to access the Education survey from the messages we sent in mid-April. This is a phenomenal number indicating a high level of engagement, and we are deeply appreciative of your efforts!
We received many notes of gratitude from people thanking us for making the process as easy as possible!
The last step of the policy development process takes place at the UCP Founding Convention and Annual General Meeting (AGM), May 4-6 in Red Deer.
If you haven’t already done so, we encourage PCE supporters who have registered to attend the UCP AGM to let us know by signing up here in order to stay in the loop regarding important updates and information.
PCE will have a booth in the Exhibit area and we hope each of you will come by and say hello!
GROWING DEMANDS OF PCE
Without you, we cannot do the hard work of advocating for a high-quality, choice-driven education system.
Unfortunately, risks to the safety and care of students in schools and the undermining of parental authority continue to grow.
Your support is especially important now as we face new threats on the horizon, including the introduction of SOGI 123, concerns with the curriculum rewrite and an Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) resolution that seeks to lobby for the removal of parental opt-out provisions for sexual content in the classroom (see page 28 of the ATA Resolution Bulletin)
Would you pledge to support PCE’s efforts today, by becoming a monthly donor for as little as $10 or $20 per month?
May and June are a critical time.
The monthly budget established prior to summer break will determine the growth capacity of PCE for the following school year.
Show your support by going to our DONATE page and click on the “Monthly Donor” button, or offer a one-time donation.
Thank you to those who have already become monthly donors - it is because of you that we have been able to expand the reach of our organization and do so much important work this past school year.
IN THE NEWS
As part of our monthly update we have included below a number of important education-related articles/resources.
Court challenge launched against Alberta’s GSA bill
Global News, 2018.04.05
“There should be no secret space in our school where parents cannot know what is happening, or where parents have no say in the content or discussion,” parent Abigail Schimke said. “In particular, principals and teachers must be able to continue to advise parents when, how and where their children will be exposed to sexually explicit content.” [READ MORE]
Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) News - April 24th Letter to the Editor
Written by Marion Leithead, former educator, regarding “A drain on the public purse...” by James Wilt of Progress Alberta, ATA News
"As editor of the ATA News, it is vital that you ensure the information conveyed therein is correct, non-partisan, and informative. I indicate below how the Wilt/Progress Alberta article fails on all three points and contains dubious, misleading numbers regarding the funding of Alberta’s roughly 250 private schools." [READ MORE]
VIDEO - The legal foundations of parental rights in education (3 min 19 sec)
John Carpay, lawyer and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
“…any law which puts parents as the enemy, any law which tries to drive a wedge between parents and children is, in its very nature, a totalitarian law that is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and contrary to the free society” [WATCH HERE]
VIDEO - Anniversary of television interview on Miracle Channel Insight with Paul Arthur April 20, 2017
We re-share this in-depth and informative television interview from one year ago, which is just as relevant today as it was then.
Paul Arthur speaks with guests Donna Trimble, Executive Director of PCE, and Theresa Ng (teacher and blogger who has since joined PCE as our Communications Advisor) about concerns in education. [WATCH HERE]