Parents for Choice in Education

It has been a significant week for school choice in Alberta. On Tuesday, the ATA's petition to defund independent schools officially failed, falling 54,000 signatures short. On Wednesday, our Executive Director published a column in the Western Standard explaining why the petition failed, why the ATA will try again, and what the province can do to end these attacks permanently. You can read the full column below, at the Western Standard site, or as a downloadable PDF.

In its 13-year history,Parents for Choice in Education(PCE), an advocacy organization that promotes parental control and expanded school choice, has never endorsed candidates in trustee elections, until now. Cindy Dubray(wards 1 and 2),Joanny Liu(wards 3 and 4),Jennifer Steward(wards 6 and 7),Tyzen Ario(wards 11 and 13) andDarvin Zuch (wards 12 and 14), are the candidates endorsed by PCE for the Calgary Board of Education Board of Trustees election.

On October 1, 2025, Heather Ganshorn posted a column in theEdmonton Journal, claiming that parental rights “threatened to take public education backwards.” For credibility, she cited a report that she had done for the Parkland Institute a month earlier, titledChallenging Parental Rights. In doing so, Ganshorn introduced two pieces of misinformation. The first was a factual error in the report she wrote, tantamount to slander.

There’s an old joke: I went to a fight – and a hockey game broke out. Anyone who’s signed their kids up for hockey has heard it. What matters is that we trust the people setting the rules to keep the league from turning into a street brawl with skates. And if they don’t, every parent knows those people can be fired. Public schools, though? A little murkier. They’re sprawling institutions, with administrators, policies, and jargon thick enough to choke a bureaucrat.

The choice is clear. Calgary’s schools will belong to families and students — or to unions and ideologues. Join us on Thursday, October 9 to stand with the candidates who will put parents first. Your presence strengthens the work PCE is doing to train campaigners, equip leaders, and build the momentum needed to win. WHEN October 09, 2025 at 6:00pm - 10pm CONTACT John Hilton O'Brien Optional email code $200.00 Final Push

On October 20th Albertans have an opportunity to cast their votes and make an impact on Alberta’s education landscape! PCE will not promote or endorse any particular candidate, nor tell you how you should vote. What we will do is urge every Albertan toward informed decision-making and engaging in the democratic process.

Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) is an Alberta-based, non-sectarian, not-for-profit advocacy organization. We are dedicated to informing, equipping, and mobilizing citizens toward an excellent, quality-oriented, choice-driven education system which recognizes parental authority. We invite you to learn more about our work through browsing our website, including information and resources available under the "Be Informed" and "Take Action" sections.

In late June 2025, a federally appointed judge granted an injunction against Alberta’s law prohibiting sex-change procedures for minors. The challenge, launched by trans activist groups, is just the first step in a broader campaign. Activists have made it clear they intend to dismantle Alberta’s entire parental rights framework, including the province’s rules on classroom content and school libraries. Their allies cheered the decision, but they ignored what was happening across the border.