Surrey school district91裸聊视频檚 rejection of a 91裸聊视频淜halistan referendum91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频渃ommunity rental91裸聊视频� on grounds promotional material for the event depicted images 91裸聊视频渙f our school, alongside images of a weapon,91裸聊视频� which according to a statement issued by the district violated the rental agreement.
91裸聊视频漁ur decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position,91裸聊视频� the statement reads. 91裸聊视频淲e have communicated the cancellation to the event organizers and have initiated the refund process for any payments made in connection with the rental.91裸聊视频�
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, 91裸聊视频淔rankly, I don91裸聊视频檛 know how it got booked at the first point.91裸聊视频�
If the department in charge of facility rentals would have consulted himself first, he said, as a person who 91裸聊视频渒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.91裸聊视频�
Thind noted school rental income is important to the district, at hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, for 91裸聊视频渧ery important programs91裸聊视频� for 91裸聊视频渕ost vulnerable students.91裸聊视频�
But as for renting a school for a referendum related to politics outside of Canada, he said, 91裸聊视频渨ould have been a first.91裸聊视频�
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. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檒l be done more transparently so none of these incidents will happen in future,91裸聊视频� he said.
Trustee Gary Tymoschuk, vice-chairman of the school board, said sometimes policies need to be reviewed and revised.
91裸聊视频淎s current chair of the policy committee that91裸聊视频檚 something that we could look at,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淕arry91裸聊视频檚 saying it should be changed, certainly we91裸聊视频檒l look at it.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭his would have been a decision at the staff level,91裸聊视频� he said of the current matter. 91裸聊视频淚t didn91裸聊视频檛 even come to the board, it didn91裸聊视频檛 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 don91裸聊视频檛 know, I can91裸聊视频檛 say for sure, but once the posters start going out and depicting, you know, essentially violence and a picture of our school that91裸聊视频檚 when it became a problem, and that is against our policy.91裸聊视频�
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 he91裸聊视频檇 heard of before now.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a highly contested subject; that91裸聊视频檚 where you get into some of the real challenges,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭o avoid any kind of expression of state support for interference in another country91裸聊视频檚 political problem. It91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频�
After all, Prest noted, 91裸聊视频渟chools as public institutions are venues of the state.91裸聊视频�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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