Alberta schools will be required to only fly the Canadian and provincial flags outside their buildings under new regulations restricting the display of other flags on school property.
The Alberta government announced the regulations on Oct. 23 under An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms, legislation intended to prevent teachers and school authorities from promoting personal political or ideological views in classrooms. Other flags may be displayed where permitted by the regulations or authorized by the education minister.
“The Canadian and Alberta flags are symbols that unite us and reflect the values we share,” Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a news release on Oct. 23. “These changes will provide a clear and consistent approach to flag displays in schools, while keeping the focus where it belongs: on student learning and success.”
Several Alberta municipalities have also passed bylaws restricting the flying of flags other than the Canadian and Alberta ones.
In 2024, the Town of Westlock council passed a bylaw that prohibited rainbow crosswalks and non-governmental flags; town staff later removed an existing rainbow crosswalk.
Residents of the Town of Barrhead also voted that year for a neutrality bylaw that banned Pride flags and rainbow crosswalks on town property. This followed the town’s decision to paint rainbow crosswalks in the community.
Earlier this year, the Town of Didsbury banned decorative flags and crosswalks on town-owned property to keep municipal infrastructure “free from symbols associated with ideological debates.” The new bylaw also limited streets to “standardized road and crosswalk markings,” rather than “non-standard designs associated with specific causes or movements.”
Other Flags
The provincial restrictions apply to physical and digital reproductions of flags displayed by school boards on school property, including buildings, grounds, equipment, and furnishings, and websites or social media accounts. The regulation does not apply to flags that individuals display on personal items.
The regulation permits boards to display other flags, such as the Franco-Alberta flag, municipal flags, and the Royal Union Flag, but on specified days. Schools may also temporarily display flags indoors as part of a course or program.
First Nations, Metis Settlement General Council, Metis Settlement, and foreign national flags can be displayed inside school buildings during official visits, celebrations, ceremonial occasions, or on specified days.
School boards may also submit written requests to the Ministry of Education and Childcare to showcase other flag displays. To qualify for approval, a flag display “must not constitute a political, social or ideological statement or position” on the school board’s part.
Proposed displays must also meet criteria such as reflecting a school’s identity or community, marking a commemorative occasion or forming part of a school event.
‘Longstanding Concern’
Nicolaides said in April that political and ideological bias is a “longstanding concern” among parents and highlighted specific examples at schools.
Nicolaides cited a Fort Saskatchewan teacher recorded in January criticizing Alberta’s oil and gas industry and Fort McMurray residents, and a June 2023 incident in which an Edmonton junior high school teacher allegedly “berated” a Muslim student for missing school during Pride activities.
Nicolaides has said students would still learn about politics and ideologies, but in a neutral way that allows “diverse viewpoints” to be brought forward. He added that the legislation would ensure educators’ personal opinions do not take over.
Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling criticized the regulations on Oct. 23, saying they would create unnecessary administrative work for teachers and school administrators without improving learning conditions.
“Albertans aren’t asking for more rules about flags. They’re asking for smaller classes and better supports for students,” Schilling said.
He also questioned why schools could display sports team flags year-round while facing restrictions on First Nations and Métis flags. Schilling said indigenous communities deserved recognition beyond designated occasions and argued that flags can be important symbols of identity and belonging for students.
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