Surrey school district害羞草研究所檚 rejection of a 害羞草研究所淜halistan referendum害羞草研究所� voting event that was set for Sept. 10 at Tamanawis secondary school in Newton over promotional posters displaying an assault rifle being stabbed by a pencil has raised the question whether using public schools for plebiscites related to politics outside Canada should be permitted in the first place.
Typically schools are used as ballot stations for federal, provincial and civic general elections. But this particular event at the Surrey school, before it was cancelled, would have seen Sikh voters weigh in on a non-binding referendum on whether the state of Punjab in India should become an independent nation called Khalistan.
On Sunday (Sept. 3) the school district cancelled the 害羞草研究所渃ommunity rental害羞草研究所� on grounds promotional material for the event depicted images 害羞草研究所渙f our school, alongside images of a weapon,害羞草研究所� which according to a statement issued by the district violated the rental agreement.
害羞草研究所漁ur decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position,害羞草研究所� the statement reads. 害羞草研究所淲e have communicated the cancellation to the event organizers and have initiated the refund process for any payments made in connection with the rental.害羞草研究所�
Surrey-Green Timbers MLA and Education Minister Rachna Singh has not responded to requests for comment. Meantime, Surrey school trustee Garry Thind told the Now-Leader, 害羞草研究所淔rankly, I don害羞草研究所檛 know how it got booked at the first point.害羞草研究所�
If the department in charge of facility rentals would have consulted himself first, he said, as a person who 害羞草研究所渒nows that community well, I could have told them not to get into this at that time because I knew it will be very, very political, they cannot win both sides. One side will be unhappy regardless of what you do.害羞草研究所�
Thind noted school rental income is important to the district, at hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, for 害羞草研究所渧ery important programs害羞草研究所� for 害羞草研究所渕ost vulnerable students.害羞草研究所�
But as for renting a school for a referendum related to politics outside of Canada, he said, 害羞草研究所渨ould have been a first.害羞草研究所�
Going forward, he said, he thinks the school district will alter its school rental policies to exclude voting events related to politics outside of Canada. 害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檒l be done more transparently so none of these incidents will happen in future,害羞草研究所� he said.
Trustee Gary Tymoschuk, vice-chairman of the school board, said sometimes policies need to be reviewed and revised.
害羞草研究所淎s current chair of the policy committee that害羞草研究所檚 something that we could look at,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淕arry害羞草研究所檚 saying it should be changed, certainly we害羞草研究所檒l look at it.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭his would have been a decision at the staff level,害羞草研究所� he said of the current matter. 害羞草研究所淚t didn害羞草研究所檛 even come to the board, it didn害羞草研究所檛 need to come to the board, again because we have a policy in place. As long as the policy was followed and I believe it was, I don害羞草研究所檛 know, I can害羞草研究所檛 say for sure, but once the posters start going out and depicting, you know, essentially violence and a picture of our school that害羞草研究所檚 when it became a problem, and that is against our policy.害羞草研究所�
Stewart Prest, a professor of political science at UBC, said using a Canadian school to stage a referendum vote related to another country is not something he害羞草研究所檇 heard of before now.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a highly contested subject; that害羞草研究所檚 where you get into some of the real challenges,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭o avoid any kind of expression of state support for interference in another country害羞草研究所檚 political problem. It害羞草研究所檚 the sort of thing where there may be diplomatic implications for Canadian institutions being seen to be in some sense supportive or at least open to those kind of endeavours.害羞草研究所�
After all, Prest noted, 害羞草研究所渟chools as public institutions are venues of the state.害羞草研究所�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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