Eggen confident Bill 24 is ‘the right thing to do’
The provincial government EDMONTON wants new rules around gaystraight alliances to be in place for the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, at the latest.
Bill 24 prevents Alberta schools from notifying parents if their child joins a GSA. It passed Wednesday morning in the legislature 42-23.
When Education Minister David Eggen rose to close debate just before 11 a.m., he told MLAs they could be on the right side of history, or they could oppose the bill.
After it passed, he said government had collaborated with schools for more than two years to build solid GSA policies, so the groundwork to implement Bill 24 is already there.
In terms of policing the new legislation, Eggen said teachers will need to follow the changes to the code of conduct. His ministry will also pursue complaints.
“Laws are only good if you make sure you actually are enforcing them,” he said. “Teachers have been looking forward to this clarity, so I think compliance around the law will be based on education, acceptance and internalization of the law to realize it’s the right thing to do.”
The NDP government argued the bill protects kids, ensuring schools won’t out them to their parents. It closed a loophole, it said, which some schools had used to flout the spirit of the School Act.
The United Conservative Party insisted the legislation was political overreach and there was no need for it.
Thirty-eight NDP members stood Wednesday to support the bill, along with Liberal MLA David Swann, PCMLA Richard Starke and both members of the Alberta Party.
UCP MLAs were united in their opposition to Bill 24, though member for Chestermere-Rocky View Leela Aheer abstained from voting.
She said after wards she supported most of the bill, but was concerned about government overreach and couldn’t vote yes.
Independent Strathmore-Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt also voted against it.
Debate was at times heated and emotional, with some MLAs drawing from personal experience as the UCP pushed for amendments that were ultimately rejected.
One group is already mulling a potential court challenge to the new legislation, but UCP house leader Jason Nixon said that’s not on the opposition’s agenda.
Nixon said while discussions will likely continue in the public, “this has passed, we’re moving on.”
Eggen will be pleased, after saying Wednesday he hoped the opposition would “back off.”
“I really don’t need them sniping around the edges and somehow undermining the good work and safe place we’ve now created with Bill 24,” Eggen said.
UCP Leader Jason Kenney came out swinging against the idea of the legislation months ago, saying parents should know what their kids are doing in school unless the parents are abusive.
After it was introduced, he argued Bill 24 stomped on parents’ rights. He also accused the government of using the bill to thwart the School Act — to allow sensitive subjects to be taught without parental permission.