School division will deal with book ban issue: premier

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This article was published 15/05/2023 (871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP has called on the provincial government to “unequivocally” oppose the banning of books from schools after the Brandon School Board was asked to remove from its libraries books that show LGBTTQ+ families.

“The premier has the ability to ensure no books will be banned simply because they feature LGBTTQ+ people within their pages. Will she commit to taking action today?” NDP Leader Wab Kinew asked during question period Monday.

It was reported that two school trustees in Brandon applauded a May 8 presentation seeking to ban certain books that feature LGBTTQ+ content.

Premier Heather Stefanson said her government supports the LGBTTQ+ community and the authority of school divisions.

“We want to ensure that nobody is being discriminated against when it comes to information that is out there,” she told the house.

“When it comes to this situation, I know that school divisions have been involved,” she told the house Monday. “We know we’ve left certain things and decisions up to those school divisions.”

The Brandon division will deal with the issue, she said.

The premier was not available for an interview after question period. Instead, a statement from Education Minister Wayne Ewasko said the government supports a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students in Manitoba, and for school divisions to reflect “local needs.”

“Manitobans, including the Manitoba School Board Association, have clearly advocated for a democratic voice in the provision of education in public schools. We respect the role school divisions play in reflecting local needs,” Ewasko’s statement said.

Kinew said the NDP, in 2016, called on the PC government to make LGBTTQ+ diversity training available to all trustees and elected leaders, and that last week’s Brandon school board meeting shows that training is still needed.

In his statement Monday, the education minister said his department works with Manitoba School Board Association to provide new and incumbent trustees with a basic understanding of their mandate and of the supports and services available to them. “This collaboration includes defining key essentials and foundations to ensure there is a clear understanding of the relationship between government and school boards on shared priorities and objectives, including promoting inclusion and diversity.”

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In March, the association held professional development workshops to give trustees “extended educational opportunities on themes related to diversity and inclusion amongst others.”

Ewasko said the Public Schools Act requires every school board to establish a written policy about respect for human diversity, and to ensure the policy is implemented in each school. Divisions also have their own policies regarding diversity and inclusion in schools, he said.

Kinew said it’s important to call out anti-LGBTTQ+ rhetoric.

“We also know the provincial government has an important role to play when it comes to the K-12 education system. It can send a powerful and important message of support to LGBTTQ+ children, families and everyone in the community, that we see them and support them,” the NDP leader said. “That means ensuring books that reflect their lives and the lives of their families are not banned – particularly not in public schools,” Kinew said in the house.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.

Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.