HSD trustee slams Pallister on Bill 18

Advertisement

Advertise with us

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2015 (3340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Hanover School Division trustee who supported anti-bullying legislation in spite of fierce public criticism has denounced the provincial Tory leader for a recent stance he took in a Canadian Press article.

Trustee Cyndy Friesen took offence at the HSD board meeting Tuesday to a response Progressive Conservative leader Brian Pallister gave when asked if he would change the law his party has panned if elected. He replied he would not because “it’s not been on our radar.”

“Based on Mr. Pallister’s response, Bill 18 was never about the safety of Manitoba students but to use those who opposed Bill 18 as pawns in a larger scheme to challenge and intimidate the sitting government,” she said.

Cyndy Friesen
Cyndy Friesen

Friesen added the bill caused great division within our communities, schools and churches as well as between families and friends.

“How sad that at the end of the day it was never about the kids but political agendas.”

Pallister’s position on Bill 18, the controversial legislation requiring schools to accommodate students who wish to establish gay-straight alliances, was solicited last month after the governing NDP slung allegations Pallister is anti-gay and anti-abortion. He flatly denied those assertions, saying his stance on those issues has evolved.

Although Pallister said he would not alter Bill 18, he still believes the legislation is flawed. One of his main criticisms is that approving gay-straight alliances infringes on the rights of faith-based schools.

The article was presented to trustees as reading material, as some news articles on education often are. Friesen then asked to speak and read from a prepared statement. No other trustees elected to reply.

Bill 18 was bitterly debated in southeastern Manitoba throughout 2013. A prayer meeting in Steinbach drew 1,200 people and a petition with more than 2,700 signatures urged HSD to no longer support the bill, which the division refused to do by a 6-2 vote.

The bill became law in October 2013.

Report Error Submit a Tip

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Local

LOAD MORE