Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says the government’s school-library order is a political stunt that’s backfired. He rattled off talking points about low funding, looming labour unrest, and ballooning class sizes, and called the order “poorly thought-out,” even claiming the minister didn’t grasp his own rule. That’s his pitch. But if he truly thinks the flagged titles are fit for kids, there’s a simple test: read the words out loud, show the pictures, and try to get it on the supper-hour news. Here’s the context. The government paused its initial directive after boards, including Edmonton Public, started yanking hundreds of books, from Atwood to Orwell. The revision now focuses on images of sex, not written descriptions — exactly the line most broadcasters use when deciding what’s suitable before 9 pm. That matters. Words are one thing; explicit illustrations are another. .EDITORIAL: Alberta teachers union selfishly puts itself before students.The controversy did not arise spontaneously. Four graphic novels were discovered in school libraries that contain explicit sexual content: Gender Queer, Fun Home, Blankets, and Flamer. Whatever you think of their literary merit, those books contain sexually explicit images that news stations would blur or crop in early-evening newscasts.The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council requires that programming with sexually explicit material intended for adults air after the 9 pm “watershed.” Stations that stray get slapped by regulators. If Nenshi tried to display certain panels at a 2 p.m. presser, most editors would cut away or pixelate. That’s not “book banning” that’s the rule TV has lived under for decades. .Nenshi insists the United Conservative Party manufactured a culture war to distract from classrooms in distress. He cites claims that Alberta spends the least per student in Canada and that teachers are on the verge of a strike. The Alberta Teachers’ Association, drawing on Statistics Canada, does argue Alberta sits at the bottom on per-student operating spending. The Fraser Institute’s 2024 report shows a similar slide, noting Alberta fell to last place in its ranking. There’s also no pretending the labour file is calm. Teachers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, and strike notice has now been served, with job action slated to begin if no deal is reached. That’s a serious risk to families. If anything, it heightens the need for clarity in classrooms — including clear, consistent rules for what sits on the library shelves. .EDITORIAL: When Carney says 'Buy Canadian', he isn't talking about the West.But none of that answers the core question: Are sexual images appropriate for kids in K-9 libraries? The government’s revised standard says no. The written descriptions can be handled with age-level judgment, while images of sex are out. That’s a line many parents will recognize from everyday life. You can print strong language in a newspaper, but you still blur pornographic visuals on TV before the “watershed.” It’s not complicated. So back to the test. If Nenshi thinks these books pass for grade-school shelves, bring them to the podium. Read the passages. Hold up the illustrations. If the content can’t make the early evening newscast without mosaics or cutaways, it doesn’t belong in a Grade 4 nook. And if he’s determined to perform the un-pixelated version, he can always start an OnlyFans page..Here’s the larger point. Alberta is a reading place. We can defend classic literature and uphold parental norms at the same time. The revised order, narrowed to sexual images, gets closer to that balance. If boards overreached in protest, fix the process — don’t sneer at parents who don’t want graphic sexual images next to picture books. If the opposition wants to fight on this hill, they should show the country exactly what they’re defending. Bring the pages. Let viewers decide — within the same standards every newscast follows before 9 p.m. In short: if the content can’t pass the newsroom test, it shouldn’t pass the school-library test. And if Nenshi is confident, he’ll give us the live demo.
