Alberta Next Panel cuts microphone on a kid asking why fund private schools

Link to the stream: https://streamable.com/vzmcwe

Sorry the video is over the 1 minute limit so the link will have to do.

Also, the high school student replied on reddit at /r/Alberta.

The link can be found here

Here is what was said:

Hello everyone! I am the high school student in this video.

First of all, I would like to thank you all for the support. From fellow citizens who personally came up to me after the panel today, to online comments, I am extremely grateful that there are still those in our province willing to stand up to unfair treatment and defend open dialogue, which was apparently the "mandate" of Alberta Next. It's honestly hilarious how far Danielle Smith and those around her will go, and I think Bruce the moderator needed to get spanked more in childhood because how did he even come up with that 🤣

For anyone interested in what I said after the mic was cut, I essentially asked why the UCP hands out $461 million to private schools, funding their tuitions (which serve 5% of Albertans, by the way) with 70% of what taxpayers provide the public system with. In fact, this figure is expected to increase to $544 million in the 2027/2028 fiscal year. That's a 30% rise, compared to the 6% that ATA teachers would get if they had somehow accepted the recent diabolical offer. I simply cannot comprehend any logical reason for the government to be giving tax dollars to private institutions, and I am gravely concerned that this is the path that healthcare will also go on. Moreover, Alberta recently posted a forecasted deficit of $6.5 billion, down from a $8.3 billion surplus last year. While I understand the volatility of our oil/gas commodities, this is not responsible governance whatsoever.

Alberta education is in triage. Since 2019, I have never been in a class with less than 35 students, save for one specialized French higher-level IB course. I have experienced firsthand the struggles that special needs students go through, and the lengths that my teachers go to in order to try to provide help to them, yet their efforts are in vain. All this, while teachers have had a 6% salary boost since 2013, versus an inflation rate of 30%. One does not need to be an adult to understand the severity of the situation. However, our province's learning used to have a reputation. When I apply to universities this fall, many of them still view our curriculum as among the most rigorous in the country, and as such BC and Ontario schools still give me a 4% grade average boost. I believe I am speaking for all Albertans when I say we want to still be regarded highly in the future. We rank dead last in Canada for education spending, but the ATA has given us an opportunity to fight back. Now is the time to act.

I urge each and every one of my peers in Alberta schools to stand up and support their teachers during the strike. Students stand in solidarity with our mentors and role models. Personally, I am in the midst of organizing a walkout in Calgary, and will post more details soon. Thank you!