Note: The following is what I have drafted as a response to the Alberta government’s present Bill, which is in second reading. I publish it here for your consideration. I urge you to read the present Bill, particularly this provision: “All courses or programs of study offered and instructional materials used in a school must reflect the diverse nature and heritage of society in Alberta, promote understanding and respect for others and honour and respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Alberta Human Rights Act.” Note that “school” here includes not only public schools, but also private Christian schools and home schools.
Dear Mr MLA,
I have recently reviewed the provisions of Bill 2 (2012 Education Act), and I am gravely concerned regarding this legislation.
It is not only that in general the Bill assumes sweeping powers for the Minister, but more specifically, it requires all curriculum, including that of home educators, to conform to the Alberta Human Rights Act. This latter is something that should be repealed, not used as the basis of further legislation, as it has had seriously negative effects upon the freedom of religion and freedom of speech in this province. In particular, it in essence prohibits Christian home educators (and others who share a basic biblical worldview) from teaching the biblical view that homosexual acts are wrong (“sinful”). This proscription applies, even though Christians teach kindness and love toward sinners; it is the intent of the Alberta Human Rights Act, and therefore Bill 2, to normalize and justify homosexual acts, period.
While in interviews, members of the Minister’s office have suggested that Bill 2′s provision affects only curriculum and not a family’s private views, this is not a satisfactory response.
First, this response presupposes a fundamental difference, and indeed incompatibility, between Christian faith, on the one hand, and “real life,” including education, on the other. This is unacceptable. Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, is Lord or lords (meaning master of all) and King of kings, not a private aid to personal devotion or an assistant to secret beliefs. The Bible ought to be the basis of the moral dimensions of education, not the Alberta Human Rights Act.
Moreover, the response of the Minister’s office presupposes that Bible courses themselves will not be part of the curriculum, or if they are, they must be circumscribed by the anti-biblical rules of the Alberta Human Rights Act. This is an attack upon all religious education in both home education and private Christian schools. Part of the point of private Christian schools and much home education is the ability to provide Bible courses, and Bill 2 is at best a restriction of the basic purpose of such education.
Furthermore, the response of the Minister’s office is unsatisfactory because it of necessity grants the Province tremendous leeway, particularly with home schools, to persecute those who would defend biblical moral teaching. The concept of curriculum is, and ought to be, broader in the context of home education than is available in the government schools. The Bill leaves far too much room for the Minister or bureaucrats to forbid parents from full-orbed biblical instruction.
The Province of Alberta does not own the children who reside within it, and would do well to remember that politicians and bureaucrats are servants of the people, and not the other way around.
In view of this, I am imploring you as an MLA to:
- Vote against this Bill as it stands;
- Work against the general impulse of putting near-dictatorial powers in the hands of the Education Minister;
- Work toward the repeal of the Alberta Human Rights Act, which is in contradiction to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which opens by recognizing “the supremacy of God and the rule of law.”
Thank you in advance for your prompt and diligent response to this matter. Your work is critical for the maintenance and restoration of genuine religious and parental freedom in our province.
Yours,
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