Attn: Hon. Premier Tim Houston

PLEASE MAKE THIS COMMUNICATION A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD

Dear Premier Houston,

RE: Restore Local School Boards, Remove Political and Ideological Agendas in Classrooms and Respect Parental Rights

I am writing to address several concerns that highlight the deteriorating condition of children’s education in Nova Scotia: the recent PLANS assessment results, the elimination of elected local school boards, and concerning remarks made by Education Minister Brendan Maguire.

Since the 2018 Education Reform Act eliminated elected English-language school boards, the Minister of Education has held centralized control through appointed Regional Centres for Education. This has distanced parents and communities from meaningful involvement in their children’s schooling.

The 2025-2026 Nova Scotia Assessment (PLANS) for Grade 6 students shows proficiency rates of only 71% in Reading, 52% in Writing, and 69% in Mathematics. Far too many students are falling behind in the fundamentals while the province continues to prioritize social activism and ideological agendas over core academic achievement.

On March 19, 2025, Independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin introduced Bill 94 (Local School Boards Act) to restore democratically elected local school boards—fulfilling a 2021 promise made by your government. As of June 2026, the bill remains stalled at First Reading.

Further eroding public confidence, on April 8, 2026, Minister Maguire responded in the legislature to reports of taxpayer-funded gender surgeries for minors and school policies allowing “social transitioning” without parental notification. In a highly charged speech, he stated:

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand here and listen to someone say the parents deserve rights over a child. No, they don’t. They absolutely don’t.”

Minister Maguire’s remarks reveal how his personal childhood trauma and ideological views appear to be hindering his ability to deliver unbiased governance as Education Minister, a position granting him full control over education policy across the province via the Provincial Advisory Council on Education.

His comments pose a serious threat to parents who are the first and most important educators of their children. Parental rights predate the state, arise from natural law, and are protected by the Constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Biblical foundations of our nation, and Nova Scotia’s Education Act.

In contrast, Alberta’s Bill 25 (passed May 2026) removes politics and ideology from classrooms while strengthening parental rights. Nova Scotia should follow this common-sense model.

Therefore, I respectfully urge your government to:

1. Immediately advance and enact Bill 94 to reinstate democratically elected local school boards;
2. Amend the Education Act to remove political and ideological agendas from classrooms;
3. Reassess Minister Brendan Maguire’s suitability as Education Minister;
4. Publicly affirm that parents are “essential decision-makers” with sacred, inalienable rights in their children’s education.

Premier Houston, Nova Scotians deserve better. Restoring local accountability, academic excellence, and parental rights is essential for our students and our future.

Respectfully,