Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is “deeply disappointed” by recorded comments allegedly made by a high school teacher in her province and which have been circulating online.
The comments mock conservative Canadians, saying they should consider other political parties such as the NDP or Green Party. Oil sector and energy jobs are also mocked.
Smith said teachers have a “duty to remain professional and politically neutral in the classroom.”
“Students are there to learn math, language, science and critical thinking based on the approved curriculum, not to be subjected to profanity, partisan attacks, or insults toward Alberta’s ethical energy workers and their families,” she said in a Jan. 15 post on X.
Classrooms “must be places of respect” where every student and family feels welcome “regardless of their political views or where they work,” she added.
The unnamed teacher on the recording was teaching a social studies class at St. Andre Bessette Catholic School located in Fort Saskatchewan, according to a statement from the Elk Island Catholic Separate School Division Board, which oversees the high school. Fort Saskatchewan is about 36 kilometres from Edmonton.
In the recording, the teacher is heard saying, “Your entire society is built on f—k Trudeau stickers, oil pipelines. You bad, I good — angry,” he says in a mock-deep voice, adding “
“You can’t control your entire society with anger,” he adds.
He continues, saying, “me not angry if me rich” and that people are asking for “oil jobs now.”
The teacher says he drove his electric car to Fort McMurray once but didn’t park outside for fear it might “get hit by a truck.”
He says he grew up in Bonnyville in northeastern Alberta, where his mother once put a federal NDP sign in her yard “just for jokes” and that conservatives don’t believe they have political options.
“They are conservative, and you walk up there, and you’re like, ‘I think you guys should consider other possibilities of political parties,’ and they’re like, ‘but there is no other political parties.’ But yeah, there’s the NDP, and the Green Party, and the Liberals.”
The social media account that posted the recording also posted an email message reportedly from the school principal, Scott Walker, acknowledging the recording.
“It has come to our attention that a recording snippet of out of context content of one of our classes has been shared online,” according to the email, which was sent for “awareness” and advises recipients not to engage with the online content.
“If any students or parents ask for info from you please simply direct them to me,” it says.
Internal Investigation
Elk Island Catholic Separate School Division Board chair Le-Ann Ewaskiw said the board is aware of the audio recording circulating on social media.
“The conduct depicted in the recording does not align with the core values of our Division in recognizing the inherent value and dignity of all people and requires further investigation,” Ewaskiw said in a Jan. 15 statement on the Elk Island Catholic Schools website.
Ewaskiw said the board expects all educators to “uphold the highest standards of professionalism and to present the curriculum in an unbiased, respectful manner.”
The statement says the board is taking the matter ‘very seriously’ and that an internal review and investigation are underway, but that no further comment will be made to protect the privacy of those involved and the integrity of the investigation.
