On Bill 44

Bill 44 (come on... take the 5 minutes to actually read the bill) has been the talk of Alberta in the last week or so. A lot of ink (digital and otherwise) has been devoted to dissecting the bill and its effects, particular the so-called "evolution clause." It would, in brief, create, as a recognized right, the option for parents to have their children removed from a classroom when the

"subject matter... deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation."

The negative consequences of such a move have been widely described (Rick Bell actually wrote a good column on it, as did Paula Simons, and Ken Chapman's post is particularly good). Most of those who have written on Bill 44 ask one question: why? No one was publicly calling for this. There are no new court rulings to take into account. There was almost no public relations lead up to it.

As I see it, there are three possible ways to explain Bill 44.

The standard answer is that the so-called "evolution clause" is a bone to the socially conservative wing of the tory caucus and coalition of voters. Ockham's razor leads me to believe that there is probably some truth to this theory. But I believe there are other possibilties that must be considered and accounted for, as they have potentially important implications for how to oppose Bill 44.

Daveberta advances another theory, one that I've heard from a couple of other sources. The evolution clause could be a ruse, designed to create a huge uproar, allowing the tories to back down. In doing so, they would implement measures to enhance charter school legislation - essentially strengthening private schools in Alberta.

I would like to propse a third way to explain Bill 44. It is no secret that Blackett is no fan of human right's commissions, having likened them to "kangaroo courts." Blackett's legislation, however, is ostensibly about strengthening Human Right's commissions in Alberta. Yet it has suceeded in bringing a number of groups that would traditionally Human Right's Commissions into opposition to a bill that would, in fact, strengthen them. If I were a conservative Legislator who wanted to ultimately weaken Human Right's Commissions, I would look for a way to do just this. Bill 44 may be an opening shot in a bid to ulThe Alberta Liberals, NDP and various other groups who are generally supportive of Human Right's Commissions need to be very careful how they go about opposing this bill, and ensure that they do not paint themselves into a corner.