Bait and switch on parental rights and religious freedom?
Two years ago, a school invited law students to talk to their middle schoolers about how to avoid date rape. Their point was simple: if she doesn't actively consent, it's rape. You have to...
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Why Higgs lost in New Brunswick, and it was nothing to do with trans rights
Was The New Brunswick election a loss for parental rights? Blaine Higgs with rookie Progressive Conservative candidate Faytene Grasseschi, Despite her inexperience in politics, Ms. Grasseschi rode her passion for parental rights...
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Smith offers schools peace, but the radicals won’t have it
Apparently, you can’t buy peace. Alberta Premier Smith’s recently announced $8.6 billion School Construction Accelerator Program was intended to do just that. Facing a conflict between parents and ambitious school board bureaucrats and activists, she...
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Trudeau looks for electoral advantage from pro-gay, anti-Catholic stance
You could smell the smoke, but still feel a chill. In 2021, 85 Catholic churches were burned down or vandalized — mostly provable arsons. Even as he was condemning the arsons, Prime...
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If performance matters, measure it... but the ATA hates the idea!
Alberta's teachers' union doesn't like accountability. But Alberta’s Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides does. And he's on the right track. Recently, Nicolaides sent out a memo about increasing the frequency of Alberta’s standardised exams. The...
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In Defense of Standardized Testing
There's been a lot of noise about getting rid of standardized exams over the last few years. Supposedly, minorities are at a disadvantage in writing exams. Consequently, the argument runs, doing away with standardized...
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Is an NDP civil war looming?
Congratulations to Naheed Nenshi. He’s earned the leadership of Alberta’s New Democratic Party. And he means to earn the premiership. However, he’s got an uphill battle — and it isn’t from who...
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When it's a battle between facts and ideology, which wins?
A New Brunswick education policy protects children from being pressured or manipulated into embarking on a dangerous and futile quest to become the opposite gender. However, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA)...
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Anti-Semitism in Canadian Schools? Blame Critical Race Theory
A boy of 14, wearing a shirt with a Star of David, is followed through a Canadian high school. A dozen girls, wearing Palestinian headscarves and face paint, scream “Free Palestine!” as...
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BC's unsubtle plot to steal parental responsibility
Imagine: a group of adults wearing “stop SOGI” t-shirts gather on a school sidewalk. (SOGI: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.) Police are called and arrive to arrest them — just in time for...
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What would fair school funding look like?
Imagine. What if the government distributed food like it does education? Groceries would be nationalized, paid for by taxes, and distributed by government-run stores. Each family would be entitled to an allotment...
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Tragedy, ambition and education reform
A horrendous tragedy in education took place this summer when respected Ontario principal Richard Bilkszto killed himself after suffering relentless bullying by a group led by a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) coordinator. It...
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2024 Spring Newsletter
It’s been a busy year so far. Seven columns by PCE’s Executive Director, seven television appearances, meetings with politicians, numerous local talks, course offerings, and coaching sessions. Between meetings, writing, and researching,...
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Alberta's Teachers Go to War
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) declared war this March. And it will be brutal. Their “Stand for Education” campaign says they are “preparing to push for these changes . . . through...
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Greed, ambition and the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta
It’s so predictable that it is almost funny. On March 5, the Public School Board Association of Alberta released a new report, entitled Choice in Alberta Education: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Schools. In...
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Teachers' union has its eye on Hoffman for NDP leadership
The latest NDP leadership news comes from an Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) convention. Pictures of literature from attendee tables have crossed my desk: Sarah Hoffman, candidate for the NDP leadership, was campaigning on the floor....
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Activists stage walkouts, but families just leave
Small walkouts by students happened at some Alberta public and Catholic schools on Wednesday, amid vigorous promotion by the media. At least one school board administration weighed in in favour of the...
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Better than Expected
When Premier Smith mentioned in a Saturday morning radio interview that she would be producing a parental rights policy, people went a little crazy with speculation. On Wednesday, the announcement dropped. Her announcement...
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Will Smith's parental rights policy do the job?
The news is pretty simple. When Premier Smith was questioned about the possibility of a parental rights bill last Saturday, she said the province would announce a policy on parental rights this...
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The Feast of the Innocents
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or...
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Fall 2023 Newsletter
The season since the Provincial election has been quite busy. We’ve been writing articles, giving talks, running campaign training across the province and have even been granted intervenor status in an important...
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When it comes to parental rights, there are no other stakeholders
HILTON-O'BRIEN: When it comes to parental rights, there are no other stakeholders As published in the Western Standard, November 6, 2023 The biggest social movement of the decade is parental rights in...
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Parental rights legislation in Alberta? How about it, Mr. Minister?
Written by John Hilton-O'Brien, Executive Director of Parents for Choice in Education, as published in the Western Standard October 16, 2023 In the wake of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick adopting parental rights legislation...
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2023 Summer Newsletter
We’ve been very busy over the past few months and finally have a little time to report on our doings!We’ve had politicians to catch up with. Our Executive Director has been...
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