REGINA — The opposition NDP have resumed their calls for Education Minister Dustin Duncan to investigate abuse allegations at Saskatoon’s Christian Centre Academy.
At a media conference at the legislature Monday, the NDP’s Human Rights Critic Meara Conway and Education Critic Matt Love called for an immediate investigation and a freeze of public dollars to the institution pending the outcome, in response the allegations swirling around the school.
The school, which now goes by the name of Legacy Christian Academy, has been subject to allegations of instances of corporal punishment including paddling, coercion, exorcism and solitary confinement, among others.
Upwards of 30 former students have now come forward with allegations in the last week, with numerous criminal abuse complaints filed against the school with Saskatoon Police.
The latest Opposition news conference came in the wake of further media reports Monday that the academy is alleged to have coerced students into participating in election campaigns for federal and municipal political candidates in Saskatoon. According to those reports, those include campaigns of former federal MP Maurice Vellacott and former Mayor Don Atchison.
“The second this hit Minister Duncan’s desk he should have acted,” said Conway.
“Instead, today, we have the leadership of the Sask. Party on the golf course, I’m told. I’m sorry, but as a parent that simply is not acceptable.”
Love and Conway made it known to reporters that they thought the minister had the power to act now.
“Allegations of exorcisms and political coercion won’t be investigated by the police, but in no way should they be occurring in Saskatchewan schools,” said Conway. “That is fully within the purview of the education minister.”
Love said the stories are “becoming more recent and more troubling” and accused the minister of setting the bar “dangerously low.”
“The ministers’ current stance is that he wants to wait to find out if criminal actions took place. Our perspective is that students deserve so much more than ‘not technically illegal’ when it comes to their learning at Saskatchewan schools.”
Love put forward questions he wanted to see answered by the minister:
“Why has no action been taken? Why do these independent schools not face the same transparency requirements as other publicly funded schools? Should taxpayer funds be funnelled towards partisan activity like political candidates in Saskatchewan schools? Why is this minister prioritizing private independent schools with massive funding increases in the creation of a new independent school category called Certified Independent Schools instead of investing in our publicly funded school divisions? And finally, will he apologize for initially trying to deny knowledge of these issues?”
SASKTODAY.ca has reached out to the minister’s office for reaction.
