Bruce McAllister Motion 503 speech April 8 2014 Alberta Hansard

The Deputy Speaker: Thank you, hon. minister. I'll next recognize the Member for Chestermere-Rocky View, followed by Edmonton-Calder, followed by Edmonton-Centre. Mr. McAllister: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Might I start by acknowledging everybody that came today to listen in on this debate up in the gallery. Thank you. Thank you to the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo for bringing this motion forward to the floor of this Assembly. It deals with an issue of critical importance, I believe, in our schools. I also think there isn't a person in this Assembly today who believes that any form of bullying in our schools is in any way acceptable. Regardless of partisan stripe I am absolutely one hundred per cent confident in saying that each and every one of us believes that no student should be subjected to bullying for any reason whatsoever, be that race, religion, gender, social status, or sexual orientation. It is not acceptable. I've only been here two years, but it's probably one of the only issues that we unanimously agree on. I would suggest bullying is completely unacceptable and has no place in the classrooms or in this province, period. Motion 503 calls for all school boards to develop policies to support students who want to establish gay-straight alliances. In effect, it means no school can overrule a student who wants to start one up. Now, while the motion's purpose is noble and while I personally believe the student-led efforts to oppose bullying of all kinds should be encouraged across the province, it represents an overreach of the Legislature. I believe the local school boards are best suited to deal with the bullying issue, and many of them are and should be applauded for the great work that they are doing on the GSAs that have started in this province. 5:20 Earlier on I said that I was one hundred per cent confident that each member of this Assembly opposes bullying on any grounds. For the same reasons I am just as confident that those we elect to sit on our school boards feel the exact same way. The same people who elect us, Mr. Speaker, elect them. They elect us to do a job on their behalf, to come to this Assembly and pass legislation. We try and ensure timely access to health care, education, and other important provincial services. They also elect school boards to do the job on their behalf, and a major part of that job is to provide a safe, caring, and inclusive learning environment for each and every student who walks through the halls of their schools. In fact, the presidents of both the Alberta School Boards Association and the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association have made that point loud and clear and, I would like to say, very respectfully also. They have disagreed with the motion in how it was presented. They were not consulted on the motion at all, and they probably could have and should have had that opportunity from the local level to have brought their thoughts forward and their insight for they are in the most appropriate spot, I think, to

see what's happening on the ground. It's their job to ensure that students are treated with respect by their peers and to deal with those accordingly when they are not. From my experience, it's a job that Alberta school boards and their elected trustees take extremely seriously and that they do quite well. It's one we should allow them to do without legislative micromanagement crafted by provincial politicians underneath this dome. We must also recognize that not all schools are the same. We have public schools in densely populated and diverse urban areas.

364 Alberta Hansard April 7, 2014 We have public schools in remote rural areas. Some public schools, particularly in Edmonton, are faith based, having joined a public system that has been inclusive of them. We, of course, have many Catholic school boards, who take great pride and care in providing the opportunity for the faith of their students to be strengthened while receiving a world-class education. We have dozens of excellent independent schools, that provide a faithbased educational experience for Christians, for Muslims, for Sikhs, and for many, many more. It would be highly inappropriate for us assembled in this Legislature to use our power to force schools, particularly faithbased schools, to sanction any organization that might teach or promote concepts that contradict their sincerely held religious beliefs. Doing so may be well meaning, but in effect it works to protect the rights of one group by disrespecting the closely held beliefs of another group. We must support school boards and teachers in their faith-based schools to find the best ways to combat bullying of LGBT students or any other students in a way that is also respectful of their beliefs and faiths. I believe that fundamentally, Mr. Speaker. Now, because the problem we are trying to address here is bullying, bullying of all kinds, whether that be the bullying of LGBT students, visible minority students, students that struggle with obesity, students with special needs, religious students, all students we're talking about every single student, Mr. Speaker I'm absolutely certain that our schools, whether they are public, whether they are Catholic, independent or faith based, are committed to that goal. So rather than mandate and prescribe how to best accomplish this, let us instead set the clear expectation that every Alberta school must work to provide a bully-free educational experience, provide our schools and boards with supports and resources where needed, and then place our trust in our schools, in our teachers and school boards, as they continue their work to combat bullying of all kinds. In closing, I just want to say how thankful I am to the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo for raising this issue. He has done an incredible job, I believe, raising awareness and bringing it to the public's attention. I have no doubt his efforts will reap rewards for many students. I know his passion with this issue will remain strong long after the debate on the motion that he has brought forward is over in here. While we might disagree on how to achieve it, I assure him and I assure all Albertans that the Wildrose strives for an education system that is welcoming, respectful, caring, and safe for all students. I look forward to continuing this discussion and working with the hon. member despite his nonstop heckling throughout my entire speech. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.