A flag policy is sparking debate within a Manitoba school board, with some trustees saying it fails to reflect diversity, while others argue it is a neutral approach that represents everyone.
The policy has been in place since last October, and calls have now emerged to add more flags, says board chair Jason Gryba, with supporters saying it would promote inclusion.
Gryba wants to keep the existing policy, arguing it creates a “welcoming and neutral space” for students by not creating “distinctions” between groups.
He told The Epoch Times that continually adding more flags “would shift our current policy away from its intended purpose–ensuring inclusivity, neutrality, and unity–and move us back toward division and exclusion.”
Calls for Reversal
The first sign of interest in revoking the policy came during a board meeting on Feb. 10, when Jarri Thompson, trustee for Ward 4, gave notice of a motion to rescind the flag policy at the next board meeting on Feb. 24.
Before being elected as a trustee in October 2024, Thompson’s campaign included a pledge to champion inclusion and reconciliation in schools.
“By advocating for reconciliation, I hope to encourage schools [to] breathe life into a culture that has been oppressed … so that those who have lived with the consequences of residential schools can find empowerment, can find their voices, and find themselves,” Thompson wrote in a Sept. 25, 2024, social media post.
“It is vital to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. It not only helps to reduce bullying and discrimination but also promotes mental well-being and self-acceptance among LGBTQ2+ youth,” she added.
‘Tension and Distraction’
Gryba said that before the board adopted the policy, the “unrestricted” display of flags led to “unnecessary tension and distraction within schools, detracting from our primary focus: education.”Paul Coffey, trustee for Ward 2, told The Epoch Times some of those tensions were evident last winter, when some students took down two flags that were displayed: the Russian flag and the Pride flag.
“There are students that the Russian flag is affecting,” Coffey said, noting the Russia-Ukraine war has become a senstivie issue and Ukrainians represent a significant part of the city’s population. Coffey cited similar reasons for reactions to the Pride flag, noting the city’s large Christian community.
Coffey said that if the board wanted to represent everybody, schools would have to display several flags. “You‘d have the Christian, the Royal Standard, the treaty, the Métis, the Palestinian, the Israeli, the Russian. You’d have to have everything to have the inclusion,” he said.
“So how do you make it so that everybody is comfortable?” he added. “We can bounce back to the all-inclusiveness of the Canadian flag and the Manitoba flag, which brings us all into one group united.”
Gryba said the flags being requested for inclusion at this time are the treaty flag and the Métis flag. “The board will continue to listen to all voices and carefully consider the best path forward in the interest of our students and school communities,” he said.
A Self-Determined Board
The MVSD school board made the headlines last year for what appeared to be a power struggle with the Manitoba government.Following a presentation on anti-racism by Trustee Coffey early last year, the board garnered national attention amid accusations that Coffey, who is of indigenous descent, was supportive of residential schools.
In his presentation on April 22, 2024, Coffey told the board that residential schools started out as a good thing, and that anti-racist policies could cause more division in the end by classifying people as “privileged” or “victims” based on the colour of their skin. He said the term “white privilege” is a racist comment for the same reason.
“It was all nice until its well-documented and openly expressed intention to use schools to assimilate, eradicate Indian languages, cultures, and spiritual beliefs. So it started out as a good thing and now it turned out not very good,” he said.
The ministry told The Epoch Times at the time that the province “is committed to ensuring students learn in safe and inclusive school environments,” and that the oversight panel would guide the board “in following through with governance priorities that place the interests of students and community first.”
Gryba previously told The Epoch Times he thinks the panel was put in place because the board “allowed voices to be heard” on sensitive issues such as racism and gender identity teaching at schools.
