Manitoba education minister won’t compromise with upset religious schools
By The Canadian Press - Monday, February 25, 2013 - 0 Comments
WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s education minister says she won’t compromise on proposed anti-bullying legislation that…
WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s education minister says she won’t compromise on proposed anti-bullying legislation that would force schools to accommodate gay and lesbian support groups.
Nancy Allan says all students deserve a safe and caring learning environment.
Some religious schools are upset over Bill 18 because it proposes that schools must allow student groups that promote respect for sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Opposition Progressive Conservatives say the law strips faith-based schools of the right to set rules according to their beliefs.
The bill is expected to go to public hearings in the spring before being passed into law.
Opponents have already started a letter-writing campaign to legislature members.
The bill is based partly on a similar anti-bullying law in Ontario.
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Strict anti-bullying laws could actually make matters worse
By From the editors - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 10:43 AM - 0 Comments
The notion that bullying can be legislated away is fanciful at best
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Schoolyard bullies have been around for as long as there’ve been school yards. Could a new law finally make them go away?
Ontario recently introduced legislation to rid schools of bullies. The bill mandates student groups to encourage tolerance, imposes reporting requirements and sets suspensions and expulsions for students caught bullying. Quebec has a similar law pending. Alberta is also contemplating legislative changes regarding bullying.
All this activity stems from genuine concern about the impact of bullying; several recent teenaged suicides have been blamed on physical or online bullying by peers. Such cases are undeniably heartbreaking and enraging. Given the depth of public response to these tragedies, and the zero-tolerance approach to crime favoured by many politicians, we’ll likely see more anti-bullying laws.
