"Over the past year, Premier Danielle Smith's government has moved to introduce restrictions on what names and pronouns Alberta students can use at school, what they learn in sex ed, what sports teams they play on, and what books they can read. But the individuals and groups claiming victory for these policies and working to influence the province's upcoming school board elections mostly aren't parents concerned about their school-aged kids—they're largely conservative activists with no direct ties to the school system."
"A new report from the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan research organization based at the University of Alberta, shows how the province's education system is at the centre of a growing political and ideological struggle over what kids are exposed to in schools—a struggle being dictated by groups like the Christian nationalist-affiliated Action4Canada and the far-right group Take Back Alberta."
""It's not just about transgender people," says Heather Ganshorn, the report's author. "They want to take over politics. They want to take over education. They want to reclaim the family—it's white Christian patriarchal supremacy. So that's bad for everyone, except for the few alpha males who get to be at the top of it.""
Over the past year Premier Danielle Smith's government introduced restrictions on student names and pronouns, sex education curriculum, sports team participation, and library books in Alberta schools. Conservative activist groups with few direct ties to schools mobilized to influence upcoming school board elections. Groups such as Action4Canada and Take Back Alberta drove an ideological campaign that mirrors US anti-LGBTQ2S+ movements and Project 2025 influences. The agenda targets trans protections and seeks broader shifts toward social conservatism and school privatization. The policies produce direct negative impacts on LGBTQ2S+ youth and aim to reshape education governance and family structures.
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