by The Honourable A. Brian Peckford
September 21, 2023
The Million People March ——It’s About Parental Rights And The Family and the Provincial Parliaments and Provincial Governments! The People Must Exert Their Power !!
This day’s protests across the country often got lost in what is the the core issue.
It is:
A. Does a parent have a right to be involved in what gender/sex information is in the public school and what is being taught on this issue?
Now , is the family still an integral part of our society?
Where do most children come from when they come to school in the morning and where do they go when they leave school in the afternoon?
They come from and go in most cases to the family home —whether one parent or two parents, whether apartment, condo, house.
If then the parent is still the PARENT or PARENTS then does it not logically follow that that Parent or Parents has/ have an obligation , responsibility to nurture and guide that child until they reach the age of maturity? Isn’t this our custom?
That such nurturing and guiding must by definition include the formal education of that child.
Does the state have the right to withhold crucial information on gender/sex information in which a school is involved from the parents of the children —it is the parents who created the school and provide the money for its functioning, not the other way around.
The school is the servant of the people as is the Provincial Parliament . And Provincial Government through the Provincial Parliament holds the power over education .
The first words of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms says —-‘whereas this country is founded on the principles of the supremacy of God and the rule of law:’
What God?
All the first Ministers who signed on to the Charter in 1981 , including yours truly , followed the Judaeo Christian God—our country was founded on values and morals of the Judaeo Christian Tradition.
We knew no other God!
And that means , as everyone knows , if they are being honest, this tradition has as one of its tenants that there is a primary position for the family in society existence , growth and success and the crucial role of parents in the realization of the ongoing success of this tradition.
Nothing new here —-REALLY!
It is just that ‘the people’ have ‘allowed ‘ the state ‘ , the Provincial Parliament , the Provincial Government, the Provincial Education Department and the School Boards to have full reign of what is in our school libraries , our school curriculum , and what the teachers teach .
The people must insist on a new contract . Not a new teachers’ contract —-but a new peoples’ contract with their servants —the Provincial Parliament .
The Provincial Parliament , The Provincial Government , The Department of Education , the School Boards must all be called to account .
And the people must insist on a new arrangement with the Provincial Government in the education of children —that means changes to the Education Act of each Province.
People must now be strategic:
Petitions and protests are of some help——but the vested interests , the unions and those who now jealously hold the power and jobs , will sabotage, conflict of interest notwithstanding.
But the people must take matters in their own hands , organize in each Province and insist on meetings ( Committees representing the parents) with every school board and every MLA —then with the Minister of Education and the PREMIER outlining the changes that are necessary in the Education Act.
The existing political parties are not to be trusted . They have allowed this situation to be. They have created it.
This must be a grassroots , people movement—all egos put in the freezer.
This is not a Trudeau issue —if you can just on this —honour the Constitution—EDUCATION IS PROVINCIAL , Section 93 of the Constitution Act of 1867 —
Education
Legislation respecting Education
93 In and for each Province the Legislature may exclusively make Laws in relation to Education,
So if the country , the parents want real education change, ongoing input in education curriculum , teaching, they must in civil, organized fashion in all the Provinces make representation in a new peoples’ movement.
The Territories education system would be hard pressed to resist such change and the people there should do the same as I am recommending for the Provinces .
It seems to me that , sadly, that is the point we have reached in our democracy .
The existing process has failed us.
We must invent a new process with the people directly involved until the necessary changes are made.
In the end it is the peoples’ votes that will bring about the fundamental change that is crying out for attention.
The great political philosopher Baron De Montesquieu ( 1689–1755) said :
‘That government is best which governs least.” “The people cannot delegate to government the power to do anything which would be unlawful for them to do themselves.” “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
