Alberta premier promises to protect parents rights during speech to UCP convention
CTV
Premier Danielle Smith, in a speech to her party delegates, promised to fight the feds and build Alberta, but got the loudest applause when she promised to keep parents in control of their child’s education.
Premier Danielle Smith, in a speech to her party delegates, promised to fight the feds and build Alberta, but got the loudest applause when she promised to keep parents in control of their child’s education.
“I want every parent listening today to hear me loud and clear: parents are the primary caregivers and educators of their children,” Smith said Saturday to sustained applause from almost 3,800 delegates at the United Conservative party’s annual meeting in Calgary.
“We cannot have a successful province or a successful society without strong and nurturing families,” she added.
“And regardless of how often the extreme left undermines the role of parents, I want you to know that parental rights and choice in your child's education is and will continue to be a fundamental core principle of this party and this government and we will never apologize for it.”
Smith’s speech came prior to delegates debating and voting on about 30 resolutions.
Such resolutions, if passed, are not binding on the government, but do reflect grassroots input on where they want public policy to go.
One resolution mandates parental consent if a child under the age of 16 wishes to use a different name or pronoun at school, mirroring legislation recently passed in Saskatchewan that has drawn harsh criticism from LGBTQ advocates.
