The most qualified person to make decisions regarding the venue of a child’s education is that child’s parent. I am a strong advocate for choice in education and parental rights to choose what is best for their child.

Soon after the NDP formed government in 2015, they began attacking parental education rights through their attempts at eliminating government funding historically allocated to private schools and homeschooling associations. I have no doubt that if re-elected they would return to their attack on parental rights and choice in education.

Historically Alberta has produced top students in Canada and among the top in the world, specifically in math, reading and science. I believe that our education system can only get better and that we can work towards our students excelling in every subject. This will continue to serve Alberta well.

Our teachers should be the highest trained and most thoroughly equipped in the country, and then trusted to teach well. Much like our health professionals, we need to trust our educational professionals to pinpoint the areas of greatest need and then provide them with the tools needed to create solutions.

Talking with teachers, they have expressed an overwhelming need over the past few years for additional educational assistants in classrooms. This has grown apparent and it is crucial this need be addressed immediately.

We’ve also seen a massive increase in the need for mental health and general wellness supports for Alberta’s students, and these supports need to be drastically increased and quickly implemented to create an environment for students to flourish.

I believe that Alberta is the best place in the world to live, and we need to actively seek ways to attract and retain the most talented educators in the world.