Alberta Education Minister David Eggen has taken the next step in his war against religious schools that refuse to buckle and accept his ideology on sexuality: He has now stated definitively that the provincial government will be pulling funding from twenty-eight private schools by next fall if they stand firm in the face of his bullying. According to Global News:
Alberta Education Minister David Eggen is directing 28 privately run schools to post rules affirming the rights of LGBTQ students or risk having their funding pulled by next school year…The posted rules include the provision that students can set up a gay-straight alliance in the school if they wish…Private schools receive as much as 70 per cent of their funding from the province.
Eggen has given the faith-based schools until the end of June to comply or funding will be withdrawn next fall.
The “non-compliant school authorities” who have not “complied” with Eggen’s “Act to Support Gay-Straight Alliances” include the following:
40-Mile Christian Education Society
Calvin Christian School Society of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations
Canadian Reformed School Society of Edmonton
High Level Christian Education Society
Koinonia Christian School—Red Deer Society
Living Truth Christian School Society
Newell Christian School Society
The Father’s House Christian Fellowship-Sturgeon County
Yellowhead Koinonia Christian School Society
And those who are listed as having “not posted a compliant policy and code of conduct” include the following:
Canadian Reformed School Society of Neerlandia
Central Alberta Christian High School Society
Coaldale Canadian Reformed School Society
Devon Christian School Society
Eastside City Church and Missionary Society
Evangelical Free Church of Champion Alberta
Independent Baptist Christian Education Society
Lakeland Christian School Society
Lighthouse Christian School Society
Living Waters Christian Academy
Muslim Association of Canada
Ponoka Christian School Society
Slave Lake Koinonia Christian School Society
St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church of Stony Plain, Alberta
The Canadian Reformed School Society of Calgary
The Lacombe Christian School Society
The Rimbey Christian School Society
Universal Educational Institute of Canada
I recognize the names of many of these schools, because I’ve been privileged to visit many of them (and give lectures on the dangers of pornography in some). For full disclosure, one of them is affiliated with the Dutch Reformed denomination I attend. I was extremely disappointed to see that every single one of the Catholic schools in Alberta buckled, but not surprised. As the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms noted:
In September, the Minister gave notice to schools that they cannot include references to “truth”, “male and female”, the Bible, and other religious references, in their Safe and Caring policies. Further correspondence (1, 2, 3) shows the Education Minister justifying his ban on faith references in religious school policies solely based on his opinion, without explaining (for example) how or why “truth” is contrary to “diversity.”
If the court challenges to the NDP policies fail—and I don’t have much faith in the Alberta courts—the only hope of reversal is to sweep the NDP out of office in 2019 and hope that the United Conservative Party is actually willing to stand for something.
For anyone interested, my book on The Culture War, which analyzes the journey our culture has taken from the way it was to the way it is and examines the Sexual Revolution, hook-up culture, the rise of the porn plague, abortion, commodity culture, euthanasia, and the gay rights movement, is available for sale here.
I also would strongly support all of the schools standing firm. Eggen is a first class bully and not sure what his agenda is except to flex his power muscle. The provincial election can not come soon enough. He continues to force his value system on everyone suggesting he is the only one who is correct. It is unbelievable arrogance but maybe not surprising.
Too bad Christians don’t lie or they could just post the stupid thing and go on with life.
Thank you to all the Christian schools who are not buckling down to this pressure.
Eggen and Co. will be gone next May, thankfully and finally.
I also would strongly support all of the schools standing firm. Eggen is a first class bully and not sure what his agenda is except to flex his power muscle. The provincial election can not come soon enough. He continues to force his value system on everyone suggesting he is the only one who is correct. It is unbelievable arrogance but maybe not surprising.
All schools should be private. Thank you, socialist education minister for showing why we should rely on governments less.
Ha Ha Ha … you won’t even be a memory by next fall, if you are lucky, one of the schools will be Christian enough to hire you as a janitor 🙂 🙂 🙂