3rd reading of controversial bill moved to next week
Last Updated: Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 5:30 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta's contentious Bill 44 will not be up for third and final reading until next week.
The legislation, which would enshrine parental rights into Alberta's human rights legislation, was supposed to go to third reading Thursday.
But the house leaders for the Tories and opposition parties agreed to put it over because there were too many other bills up for third reading this week.
Bill 44 would give Alberta parents the right to pull their children from classroom discussions about sex, sexual orientation or religion.
Critics say the law would make it possible for parents to file human rights complaints against teachers and school districts, creating a chill on what is taught in the classroom.
The bill moved to third and final reading early Wednesday morning after a debate that stretched from Tuesday evening.
The minister responsible for the province's human rights legislation, Lindsay Blackett, tried to address teachers' concerns by introducing a last-minute amendment making it clear that parents could only pull their children from lessons about sexuality and religion that are in the curriculum. No restrictions would be placed on casual classroom discussions that might arise about these topics.
But the amendment didn't go far enough for the Alberta Teachers Association, which repeated its call for the government to drop the parental opt-out provision altogether.
On Wednesday, the impending final passage of the bill prompted ATA president Frank Bruseker to send a warning to teachers.
"We'll be telling them to be careful about the kinds of things they talk about in their classroom because now there is a new exposure, there is a new potential hazard or potential danger that exists that did not exist before," he said.
ATA lawyers are already preparing for the legal challenges Bruseker believes teachers will face in the future.
But Blackett brushed off these concerns when speaking to reporters Wednesday.
"Talk to me in a year and ask me whether or not changes have been beneficial and has anybody been adversely affected, and I bet the answer will be no," he said.
