Smith Emphasizes Parental Rights as a ‘Fundamental Core Principle’ of Her Government at UCP Convention

CALGARY—In her address to the UCP general meeting on Nov. 4, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government places high importance on parental rights, as the annual convention contemplated a number of resolutions related to the issue.

“I want every parent listening today to hear me loud and clear: parents are the primary caregivers and educators,” Ms. Smith told the nearly 4,000 delegates on the second day of the United Conservative Party convention that started on Nov. 3, at the BMO Centre in downtown Calgary.

“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,” she added, and receiving a standing ovation from her audience.

Ms. Smith also emphasized the need to provide more educational choices to parents, such as by increasing the capacity and quality of the province’s public and separate charter, independent, and homeschooling systems.

Ms. Smith noted that there are already some forms of parental rights protection mechanisms in place in her province, such as the right to opt in on matters of sexuality and religion. She said her party caucus will further deliberate on the issue, taking into consideration the desires of the grassroots based on the UCP policy voting results at the convention.

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UCP members have voted in support of a resolution calling on the Alberta government to require teachers, schools, and school boards to obtain written consent from the parents or guardians of students under the age of 16 before changing their names or pronouns in school.

Another resolution that was also passed requests that teachers, schools, and school boards ensure children from kindergarten to grade 12 would not have access to materials involving age-inappropriate sexual content.

The proposed policy resolutions that are voted on by party members at the convention are non-binding and may not necessarily be adopted by the party leadership. Nevertheless, the resolutions serve as reflections of issues that concern the party’s grassroots.

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Among a number of key issues she addressed during her speech at the UCP convention, Ms. Smith highlighted her government’s response to the federal net-zero emissions plan. She emphasized the need to balance natural resource development with reducing emissions, which she said her government seeks to achieve through the use of new and emerging technologies.

“The entire world is looking to us right now to demonstrate that reducing emissions and developing our natural energy resources are not in conflict with each other,” she said. “The only way the world will ever meaningfully reduce emissions while avoiding energy poverty for billions is to develop our energy resources using the new and emerging technologies being funded by that very resource development.”