Premier Danielle Smith surprised some Albertans when she announced Saturday on a Corus radio show that her government would soon be releasing policy on parental rights in schools.
During an episode of Your Province, Your Premier on 630 CHED and QR Calgary, Smith said the United Conservatives would be releasing policy on it “next week.”
“I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with parents wanting to protect their child’s innocence as long as possible on issues of sexuality,” Smith said on Saturday. “I think that’s a good instinct. But kids do get to a point where they start making their own decisions. That’s the balance that we’re trying to get to.
“How do we make sure that we’re supporting children as they grow into adults to become the people they want to be but making sure the parents also have the right to ensure materials and education and exposure to some of these discussions happen at an age-appropriate level.”
Smith continued to say there needs to be a “balance” between supporting children to form their own identities and parents having the right to know what is being taught in schools.
Last November, Smith made a speech to UCP delegates promising to protect parents’ rights.
UCP members overwhelmingly passed a motion requiring parental consent if a child under the age of 16 wishes to use a different name or pronoun at school, mirroring legislation recently passed in Saskatchewan that has drawn harsh criticism from LGBTQ2 advocates.
Such resolutions are not binding on the government but do reflect grassroots input on where they want public policy to go.
The premier said Saturday caucus has been having a lot of conversations and the UCP “consulted very broadly about it.”
The premier’s office did not explain which groups were consulted.
However, the Alberta Teachers Association said it was not consulted.
“Before any kind of legislation or regulations around that, there needs to be a broad conversation with the individuals who are involved in these situations: schools, teachers, parents, students,” said ATA president Jason Schilling. “We’ve got to make sure there’s supports in place.
“Right now my colleagues are working across the province in schools that are seeing an increase in class size, lack of funding in supports for students, which includes mental health supports and counselling services.”
The Alberta School Councils’ Association said no “broad consultation took place with school councils or with ASCA related to parental rights or concerns.”
That group is calling on the government to halt the legislation until “broad consultation is meaningfully achieved and incorporated.”
Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA) on X: “https://t.co/9lauChOQq2” / X (twitter.com)
“I’m really hopeful that we can depoliticize the discussion,” Smith said on Saturday. “And be thinking about the kids who are listening to us as adults talking about these issues that are impacting them and make sure that we get the right balance.”
While the legislature isn’t back in session until Feb. 28, advocates worry the debate is already putting a target on some kids’ backs.
Victoria Buchlotz, an expert in gender studies and a trans woman herself, said parental rights legislation in other parts of North America is often presented as parents’ “valid concerns” but is actually “hostile” towards the queer community.
“They’re really aimed at limiting the expression of trans individuals in our community,” she said. “This is a big warning for the queer community here in Alberta that life is going to get a lot tougher under this government.”
Buchlotz said if Smith wants to depoliticize this issue, legislating it actually does the opposite.
“This is politicizing children. She’s taking 10-, 12-year-olds who are just trying to find out who they are and she’s making this into a massive political debate. We’re going to have internet debates raging online, and those kids are going to see that and they’re going to see the leader of their province chose to turn them into a political issue for votes.
“A huge number of parents don’t accept their kids’ gender expression at an young age. This can often lead to houselessness, violence, discrimination, and what we’re trying to do is create a space where children can express that freely.”
She said most Albertans do not support a policy that would require parental consent for name or pronoun changes for kids in schools.
“Supporting trans kids lowers suicidality, it improves safety and their development,” Buchlotz said. “Creating more red tape, restrictions and using them in this overtly political way is not the way to support trans kids, which is what we need to be focusing on.
“I think Danielle Smith is focusing too much on perceived voter blocs and how they might react, and not enough on the kids that she’s now put a target on.”
Alberta’s minister of red tape reduction weighed in on the issue on Monday at an unrelated news conference.
“I have four kids and so I absolutely value parental rights,” Dale Nally said. “I’m also the minister who’s responsible for cutting red tape. I know there are groups in Alberta that default to ‘government knows best’ when it comes to your children. That is not our government and it is certainly not me.
“My default position is that nobody loves their kids more than their parents and that parents know best.”
Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, agreed this is going to be a difficult thing to depoliticize.
“When you’ve got folks that are worried about something that really has its roots in a U.S., very polarized debate, and trying to find a middle ground, one that is depoliticized here in Alberta, I think that’ll be quite a challenge,” she said.
Williams pointed out that Smith “in the past, has expressed pretty strong libertarian views and, at least at some times, support for LGBTQ2S rights. So this is going to be a delicate balance for her.
“On the one hand, sticking to those principles that she certainly has espoused in the past … and on the other hand, trying to cater to or respond to or placate those within her base that are concerned about this issue.”
The challenge, Williams said, will be to protect children as they try to figure out their identity and expression while protecting parents’ input in terms of their child’s education.
“I think a lot of people have sympathy with parents wanting to know what’s going on with their children’s lives,” she said. “On the other hand, we do know that some very rigid or perhaps ideologically or religiously focused parents may not be able to accept some alternate expression of their child’s identity, and this could be quite harmful to a child that doesn’t have the opportunity to express their identity.”
The legislature isn’t back in session until Feb. 28.
Alberta is the third Canadian province to introduce policy relating to parental rights, following New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan passed its Parents’ Bill of Rights and invoked the notwithstanding clause in October 2023.
Global News is owned by Corus.
With files from Paula Tran, Global News and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press