Surrey school district香蕉视频直播檚 rejection of a 香蕉视频直播淜halistan referendum香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播渃ommunity rental香蕉视频直播� on grounds promotional material for the event depicted images 香蕉视频直播渙f our school, alongside images of a weapon,香蕉视频直播� which according to a statement issued by the district violated the rental agreement.
香蕉视频直播漁ur decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position,香蕉视频直播� the statement reads. 香蕉视频直播淲e have communicated the cancellation to the event organizers and have initiated the refund process for any payments made in connection with the rental.香蕉视频直播�
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, 香蕉视频直播淔rankly, I don香蕉视频直播檛 know how it got booked at the first point.香蕉视频直播�
If the department in charge of facility rentals would have consulted himself first, he said, as a person who 香蕉视频直播渒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.香蕉视频直播�
Thind noted school rental income is important to the district, at hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, for 香蕉视频直播渧ery important programs香蕉视频直播� for 香蕉视频直播渕ost vulnerable students.香蕉视频直播�
But as for renting a school for a referendum related to politics outside of Canada, he said, 香蕉视频直播渨ould have been a first.香蕉视频直播�
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. 香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檒l be done more transparently so none of these incidents will happen in future,香蕉视频直播� he said.
Trustee Gary Tymoschuk, vice-chairman of the school board, said sometimes policies need to be reviewed and revised.
香蕉视频直播淎s current chair of the policy committee that香蕉视频直播檚 something that we could look at,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淕arry香蕉视频直播檚 saying it should be changed, certainly we香蕉视频直播檒l look at it.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭his would have been a decision at the staff level,香蕉视频直播� he said of the current matter. 香蕉视频直播淚t didn香蕉视频直播檛 even come to the board, it didn香蕉视频直播檛 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香蕉视频直播檛 know, I can香蕉视频直播檛 say for sure, but once the posters start going out and depicting, you know, essentially violence and a picture of our school that香蕉视频直播檚 when it became a problem, and that is against our policy.香蕉视频直播�
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香蕉视频直播檇 heard of before now.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a highly contested subject; that香蕉视频直播檚 where you get into some of the real challenges,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭o avoid any kind of expression of state support for interference in another country香蕉视频直播檚 political problem. It香蕉视频直播檚 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.香蕉视频直播�
After all, Prest noted, 香蕉视频直播渟chools as public institutions are venues of the state.香蕉视频直播�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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