There’s plenty of chatter on social media about the plan by the United Conservative Party’s powerful and secretive Take Back Alberta (TBA) faction to stealthily take over the province’s school boards in the next round of board elections. This would set the stage for indoctrinating children with social conservative ideology.
As usual, though, conservative mainstream media (which is the only kind we have in Alberta) seems to be largely ignoring the story. This is most likely the result of understaffing and pitiful resources devoted to journalism as opposed to actual malice. But who knows for sure?
Meanwhile, another group, Parents for Choice in Education (PCE), is rolling out its strategy for supporters to capture school boards.
PCE describes itself as a “non-sectarian, not-for-profit advocacy organization” that is “dedicated to informing, equipping, and mobilizing citizens toward an excellent, quality-oriented, choice-driven education system which recognizes parental authority.”
That sounds nice. But it is not really a full description of the organization and its goals. Based on its statements in media and the positions it takes on social issues, it is fair to conclude that the PCE is socially conservative in orientation. It wants full public funding for private and religious education. And it is hostile to the idea of students’ rights, LBGTQ rights, in-school sex education, and teachers’ unions, at a minimum.
Nowhere is it said there’s a formal connection between TBA and PCE. But it can be predicted with confidence that if anyone were to draw a Venn diagram of the two groups, there would be considerable overlap. When it comes to gender issues, student rights, free collective bargaining for teachers, and the instruction of history, it is fair to say they sing from the same hymnbook.
In a series of columns published in the far-right Western Standard online publication, PCE has railed against “‘progressive’ sex teaching,” Pride events, sexual orientation and gender identity policies, critical race theory, teachers’ unions, school gay-straight alliances, and so on.
In its Summer 2023 newsletter, PCE informed its supporters that it has already held its “first training session for people looking to get involved in the next School Board Elections.”
“In response to widely felt concerns that our school boards have been overtaken by radical activists, we have created workshops on how to run for school board trustee,” the newsletter boasts. “We started running these workshops during the last school board elections, with impressive success. We’ve already run the first one for the next election season – 18 people came out in Lloydminster!”
Just to be clear, by “came out” the unnamed author of the newsletter must have meant attended a workshop.
As for what PCE plans to do this fall, the newsletter continues, “We’re continuing our election training workshops. They’re pitched both at prospective candidates and ordinary Albertans who want to learn how to get good people into office.”
Importantly, if you’ve been paying attention to the news, it continues: “We’re hoping to convince the government to pass a Parental Rights Act, similar to the policy recently implemented in Saskatchewan. Our Executive Director had a positive conversation with the Minister of Education on the subject in a recent meeting.” (Emphasis added.)
That is, they want an Alberta version of the controversial and possibly unconstitutional policies introduced by the conservative governments led by premiers Blaine Higgs in New Brunswick and Scott Moe in Saskatchewan, which force schools to expose children who wish to change their names or pronouns to their parents or guardians, and sometimes to their fellow students.
Given the newsletter’s claims, it would be worthwhile knowing what Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides’ position truly is on this highly controversial issue.
The PCE newsletter also advises its supporters to “convince more and more school boards to drop their secrecy policies” – secrecy, in this context being code for confidentiality about students’ choices about their names, gender identity, sexuality, and so on.
If you’re concerned about the MAGA assault on education, whether it comes from TBA or other social-conservative groups, fasten your seatbelts. Because it’s coming to Alberta in the next province-wide municipal election when school board candidates’ names will also be on the ballot.
And like the warning on your car’s wing mirror, October 20, 2025, is closer than it looks. And there may be by-elections before then.
So be ready to query all candidates about their connections to TBA and PCE, as well as their views on these specific issues.
Far-right ideologically motivated candidates know they are out of tune with what most Albertans think and want for their children. So just as TBA is doing with its takeover of the UCP, and the anti-choice radicals opposed to women’s reproductive rights did to infiltrate the UCP and Conservative Party of Canada legislative and Parliamentary caucuses, many will try to act covertly and hide their beliefs and connections.
In such circumstances, you can and should take no answer as the obvious answer.
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
