Notley calls for Education Minister to resign
Posted August 7, 2020 11:57 am.
Last Updated August 7, 2020 11:58 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON (660 NEWS) – Another provincial minister is being asked to step down by Alberta’s official opposition.
On Friday, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley called out Education Minister Adriana LaGrange for not putting the health and safety of students and teachers first.
Adriana LaGrange failed to provide schools with what they need to keep kids safe.
She then tried to distract from this failure by making a non-announcement around the curriculum review.
We need more from a Minister of Education. Do you think she should be replaced? #abed #ableg
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) August 7, 2020
It comes after LaGrange announced the next steps for Alberta’s curriculum review which will LaGrange said will have students focus on the basics of literacy and numeracy.
She also talked about political biases in the curriculum but never gave a clear answer to what specifically was biased in some subjects like social studies.
WATCH: UCP announce changes to curriculum, details not available
The announcement by LaGrange was met with criticism as some called it nothing more than a distraction.
“It was an attempt to distract and a bad one at that. The UCP is trying to distract from the fact that they haven’t acted to make schools safe for September,” said Education Critic Sarah Hoffman. “If she can’t keep kids safe she has no business being the Minister or Education.”
Barbara Silva with Support our Students agreed with that, adding the issues the UCP are tackling with the curriculum are nothing more than a manufactured crisis.
“This is not the time to be talking about a new curriculum, standardized tests. Teachers are stressed, overwhelmed with the idea of playing healthcare provider.”
This is the second time in the last few months, an Alberta minister has been asked to resign. The Opposition and members of the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) have asked Health Minister Tyler Shandro to step down over disputes with doctors regarding compensation and bargaining rights.
Kenney has said he stands by Shandro despite a vote of non-confidence from members of the AMA.
