A pro-life blog / news organization called LifeSiteNews.com recently sought access to a speech given about homosexuality and religion at a high school in Hamilton, ON. The school district acknowledged that they had a copy of the speech, but refused to provide it to the public. The blog then filed an Information and Privacy Request.

Unfortunately, last week, Ontario's Privacy Commissioner ruled that the school board did not have to release the speech, because the speaker had discussed private things like their sexual orientation and religious views, and because their was no compelling public interest in this information being made public.

This is obviously absurd. If something is private, then someone shouldn't speak publically about it. And there is always a public interest in parents being involved in their children’s lives and knowing what they are learning at school. This goes a step further, really, than anything we've seen before. The decision wasn't about the right of parents to opt their children out of this talk, it was only about whether or not they should know what was said after the fact.

Here in Alberta, we need to stand up and fight to preserve the rights that are being taken away in Ontario and elsewhere. Everyone should agree that parents have a right to know what is being taught in schools.

You can read LifeSiteNews.com's take on this issue here.