March 24/08
Hello Mr. Dion,
I am a life-long resident of NB and usually an ardent supporter of the Liberal party. I am gravely concerned, however, with what the Liberal party of NB is doing to damage what Liberals overall in Canada. Today I write to you because my main concern is the recent decision by the Graham government to remove the choice of which language our children are educated in, something I have believed to be protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I guess I was wrong about that fact, though, after all these years.
There are many sides to this issue, Mr. Dion, and I am sure you have heard from a great many people. I come at this from a slightly different angle: as a parent of a child with CHARGE syndrome, a genetic syndrome involving hearing loss, vision loss, heart, kidney, and respiratory problems, I want to retain the choice of having her educated in English. I am not anti-French education in any way, I am pro-Kennedy (my daughter) and what she needs. What she needs is to be able to continue working VERY hard, as she has done for the first five years of her schooling, in the English program. I also believe that parents should have the choice to place their children into Early French Immersion if they decide that is what is best for their child. What we all need, as citizens in a democratic country, is choice.
We live in this democracy, yet here in NB, it certainly does not feel like it. We just went through this in the fall, as this government of neo-Liberals attempted, in conjunction with big business, to shut down our Liberal Arts University based on a flawed report and biased individuals completing the report. This decision was made under similar pretenses and the people of NB are getting fed up with a Liberal government that is dictator-like, forcing these regressive decisions down the throats of its citizens. It’s very sad and I feel, will impact the Federal Liberals in the next election. If you had told me five years ago I’d be fighting against a Liberal government twice in a twelve month period because they were trying to remove choice from citizens, I would have thought it quite absurd. It seems to be a recurring theme, however, with this Graham government.
I realize education is a provincial matter; however, if there is anything you can do to help the damage being inflicted by this Graham government, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you again for your consideration in this matter,
Lisa Weir
http://www.chargesyndrome.info
Secretary and Education Chair, CHARGE Syndrome Foundation, Inc.
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