At its Annual General Meeting last week, the United Conservative Party voted in favour of several dangerous and discriminatory non-binding resolutions that will deliberately and maliciously oppress equity-deserving groups, including 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, people of colour, women, people with disabilities, and more. These policies, if enacted by the provincial government, will cause immeasurable, irreversible harm to these groups and our province.
These resolutions represent the prejudiced, ignorant, and hateful views of a vocal minority in Alberta. In recent years, work in anti-racism and anti-oppression has gained momentum at all levels of government (including the UCP's provincial government), post-secondary institutions, and many other organizations. The utilization of equity-informed approaches is happening because of the recognition of its benefits to the entire community, the acceptance of the importance of decolonization and reparations, and the responsibility of those in decision-making positions to create equity within systems and institutions. Not to mention the rise of basic human decency.
We cannot allow prejudice, ignorance, and hate to halt this critical work by allowing policies like these to take hold in our province. The UCP needs to hear from all Albertans, not just this vocal minority. Please contact your MLA to voice your support for anti-oppressive work and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in Alberta and to denounce these hate-filled, prejudiced resolutions.
Below, we have provided a sample letter you can send to your MLA, as well as links to find your MLA and cabinet ministers. You can download the Word document or copy and paste the content from this page. Please fill in your own information where applicable, and feel free to customize the letter to include your own personal experiences and thoughts.
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Download the letter below as a Word Document
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[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, Province, Postal Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]
[Date]
[MLA's Name]
Member of the Legislative Assembly
[Constituency Office Address]
[City, Province, Postal Code]
Subject: Concerns Regarding Resolutions Passed at the UCP AGM
[MLA's Name],
Thank you for your dedication and hard work serving Albertans. I am writing to express my concerns about many of the non-binding resolutions passed at the recent United Conservative Party (UCP) Annual General Meeting, and I would like to request your assistance in ensuring these resolutions do not become policy. There were many concerning resolutions adopted at the meeting, but here I will focus on the anti-2SLGBTQIA+ and anti-DEI resolutions.
Many of these resolutions, if they are to become public policy, will oppress equity-deserving groups, including 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, people of colour, women, people with disabilities, and more. Public policy based on these resolutions will cause immeasurable, irreversible harm to these groups and our province. I understand that these resolutions were voted for by members of the UCP party, but I do not believe they represent the beliefs of most Albertans, nor do I believe they are what’s best for the province. I unequivocally do not support these resolutions. I believe, in many cases, they are fear-based rather than being based on relevant research and knowledge.
School Pronoun Resolution
There is plenty of evidence and expert commentary, all based on real-world research, to know that the potential policies focused on 2SLGBTQIA+ students will result in some 2SLGBTQIA+ children being ostracized and isolated in their own homes, kicked out of their homes and onto the streets, or even taking their own lives through suicide. I ask you to please consider the critical needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ children when considering public policy, and to make decisions based on empirical evidence. This would include rejecting the potential “pronoun policy” voted for by UCP members, and introducing or supporting any policy that supports the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ students (and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in general).
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resolutions
The resolutions aimed at eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from post-secondary institutions will cause significant harm to equity-deserving groups and Albertans in general if they are to become public policy. It’s understandable that people who don’t fully understand equity-informed work may be afraid of how it will affect them, but the evidence from countless studies clearly shows that DEI has multiple positive benefits for the entire community. I ask you to focus on these benefits when considering public policy around DEI work. Specifically, I ask you to reject any potential policy that would discourage DEI offices and policies at post-secondary institutions, and introduce or support policies that encourage equity-informed work.
In summation, many troubling resolutions were passed at the recent UCP AGM, and I ask for your support in ensuring that these resolutions do not become public policy. Specifically, I ask you to:
- reject any potential “pronoun policy” in Alberta schools, and
- reject any potential policy discouraging DEI offices and policies at Alberta post-secondary schools.
Thank you for your dedication to public service, and I look forward to your response regarding my concerns. Your assistance in addressing this issue will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our constituency and province.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
