By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter) -- Lethbridge

Concern Increases over another Government Bill – This time it’s the Bill of Rights to Protect Children

Jan 31, 2016 | 7:40 AM

LETHBRIDGE:  

The province’s edict for school boards to submit policies that comply with new legislation to protect students and staff from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, is stirring continued concern abut another act..

Bill 10, the Act to Amend the Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect Children, received Royal Assent on March 19th, 2015 and came into effect on June 1, 2015.

Some parents are beginning to equate Bill 10 with the government’s Bill 6, the farm and ranch workers act.

Trevor, a local parent of three children, has several concerns about the legislation and its policies.

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“School washrooms and change rooms can be really scary for a lot of kids, especially kids who are going through puberty – and this idea that you can allow a gender confused boy into a girl’s change room, and have girls undress in front of this boy – that to me is ridiculous.”

Trevor says if the goal is to reduce bullying and make children feel safer and included, he believes this will achieve the opposite. He is also concerned about the fact that school staff are not permitted to tell parents what groups their children are participating in or if their children are struggling with gender issues, unless the child gives permission.

“In other words, the government is setting itself up as though they are some sort of confident the children can go to – children don’t need the government, they need their parents, and it some cases, they might need a school counsellor to act as a confident but, we already have that.”

Trevor is particularly concerned about the heavy handedness of the government’s acts.

“The last time I checked, school board trustees answered to parents, not to the government – it’s dictatorial, it’s tyranny – this has no place in Alberta, and to make matters worse, MLA Shannon Phillips seems to think that her constituents support this ridiculous Bill.” Trevor goes on to note, “I would say to Shannon, we do not support it and if you had bothered to ask us, you would already know that.”

Trevor believes more parents need to step up and have their voice heard over these issues, as parents need to be an integral party of this process.