The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education:

MyGSA Resource Highlighted at International Conference

Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have been on the receiving end of bullying and harassment in schools and communities throughout this country and around the world.

We have taken real action to address this issue, Mr. Speaker. As part of a three-year plan to build awareness around LGBT issues, the Provincial Government invested $90,000 in the MyGSA (or My Gay-Straight Alliance) resource, which is designed to provide support for administrators, teachers, and students who want to establish a gay-straight alliance in their school. Developed in partnership with Egale Canada, I am proud to say Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in the country to offer such a resource to all schools that offer Grades 7-12.

I am equally proud to report that on Friday past, Egale Canada made a presentation to an international conference in Switzerland, where participants spoke about best practices taking place around the world to create safer and more inclusive schools. Mr. Speaker, our work around the development and distribution of the MyGSA resource was highlighted at that conference as an example of providing leadership, and creating partnerships, which will help address this issue.

And our work continues, Mr. Speaker. The province has invested a further $100,000 in professional development to build awareness in the education system of issues around sexual orientation and gender identity. To date, sessions have been completed with all Kindergarten to Grade 12 principals, vice-principals and guidance counsellors, as well as school district staff and the Department of Education. I am among those who attended this training, Mr. Speaker. I hope that speaks to how strongly I feel about this issue as minister, as a former educator, and as an individual. Our next step will be to provide this professional development to all teachers in the province, starting in the new school year.

Mr. Speaker, this investment of time and money speaks to our commitment to ensuring schools are safe, caring and inclusive for everyone. I strongly encourage teachers to use the MyGSA resource, to generate discussion in their classrooms, and to support the creation of gay-straight alliances in our schools.

2013 05 07             1:45 p.m.