Kenney's Plan Means Repealing Bill 10

Immediate Release

March 29, 2017

Kenney’s plan means repealing Bill 10

CALGARY- On March 27, while commenting on gay-straight alliance clubs, PC Leader Jason Kenney told the Calgary Herald Editorial Board, ‘I believe that principals, teachers, parents, can come up with sensible, practical, safe, compassionate solutions to these issues without them all being dictated by politicians in the legislature.’ This plan will lead to repealing Bill 10, legislation unanimously supported by the PC caucus in 2015.

“While our government is making lives better for LGBTQ youth, this is how Kenney responds. His policy is totally out of step with Albertans, because he only listens to his social conservative base. When the PCs redrafted Bill 10 in 2015, all parties supported it. Now he wants to repeal it because he doesn’t support GSAs and their mandate in the law – how far is Kenney willing to go?” said Michael Connolly, NDP MLA for Calgary-Hawkwood.

Kenney has also signaled he wants to out LGBTQ youth to their parents the second they join a GSA. GSA clubs have been shown to reduce the suicide risk of all students, including at-risk youth. They are also useful for teachers who want to support their LGBTQ students. When he was asked whether he supported the notification of parents when a student joins a GSA, Kenney agreed and said, ‘Parents have a right to know what their kids are doing in school.’

“LGBTQ youth are the ones who should decide when they come out to their family, not Jason Kenney. Just like repealing Bill 10 is a bad idea, outing LGBTQ youth is an idea with potentially terrible consequences. I got into politics to make sure that youth have the supports they need that I didn’t have growing up gay in Alberta. Jason Kenney’s policies would be a set back to the 1950s.”

“Tonight, during his telephone town hall conference call with supporters about education policies, I call on Jason Kenney to not just flip flop on his position, I call on him to categorically reject any notion of repealing Bill 10 and for outing LGBT youth.”

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