A Winnipeg school trustee mired in controversy over memes she posted on social media announced her resignation on Wednesday.In a five-page statement, Francine Champagne said her “work environment has become unbearable” and so with “mixed emotions” she was resigning as Ward 1 school trustee for Louis Riel School Division.“[N]otice has now been served on all Manitobans – a school trustee who holds traditional views will not be tolerated or be allowed to express beliefs that counter the narrative," Champagne wrote.According to Champagne, on June 1, Board Chair Sandy Nemeth confronted Champane about memes she had posted in May on her personal Facebook page, not visible to the general public. On June 6, a Winnipeg Free Press article publicized their contents.“Incidentally, the posts have not been removed because I have nothing to hide. Who screen shotted my opinion-based posts and sent them to the Winnipeg Free Press, and for what purpose exactly?” asked Champagne.The memes were published in a poll by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy on June 9. Here, 95% of respondents said no one should suffer reprisals for such posts.The Board Code of Conduct (number 10) states that school trustees should “Refrain from expressing opinions and/or sharing information through social media that would discredit, undermine or compromise the integrity of the Board,” but Champagne believes she has not done that.“How does expressing traditional views on gender issues discredit, undermine or compromise the integrity of the board? I have been singled out and punished for voicing the concerns of the people who have voted for me, including Christians, Muslims and many sensible secular citizens.”The Manitoba Public Schools Act section 35.1(2) states, “A code of conduct must, at minimum, a) require a trustee to ii) respect others who may have different opinions,” a clause Champagne says should have protected her.“As someone who very much values people and their ideas, I tend to shy away from conflict and drama. Professionalism and integrity have always been part of my work ethic.”In an informal meeting with trustees in mid-May, Champagne said she “simply dared to question, as per my duty as trustee and obligation towards the public, Policy AC: Respect for Human Diversity as well as the wide array of highly explicit material (ie diverse books) available within LRSD. My question was met with hostility by Ms. Nemeth who immediately shut me down.”Champagne, who received 2,817 votes in the past school board election said her opinion is the majority and she campagned as someone “upholding traditional views and wishing to lend a voice to those defending parental rights.”“Now that voice is gone. However, it would be unsafe and unhealthy to work in an environment where intolerance reigns,” Champagne said.Trustees moved on June 6 to suspend Champange for three months without pay. She also lost her teaching position at St. Boniface University.A hearing date was set for December 5. However, on October 18, the day the NDP government was sworn in, the department of education and early childhood learning advised Champagne's lawyer that the adjudicator assigned to her case by the previous government, would no longer be hearing it. The next day, Champagne said she received “an unexpected and intrusive phone call from the Winnipeg Free Press" asking her to comment on a new 30-day suspension."LRSD had decided to suspend me once again without pay for not signing the annual declarations [of board members], even though the reasons for this refusal had been communicated in writing to Ms. Nemeth," Champagne recalled.The ensuing Free Press article made Champagne “erroneously appear irresponsible and neglectful" in her view. She said a CBC article that followed November 9 was “defamatory” for stating that a comment she made on a friend’s Facebook page was considered “racist” and “abusive”. The former trustee said, “I strongly disagree with racism. Once again, I was labelled with ill intent. Anything can be taken out of context and turned around. This comment garnered me a 3-month suspension without pay, starting November 17.”Nemeth told the CBC, “Because Champagne was democratically elected by the community, there is no provision within the Public Schools Act for the board to remove her. However, the board can and will continue to suspend Champagne if she fails to sign and uphold the code of conduct.”Champagne found the statement telling. “The intent was made clear, which was to keep suspending me (without pay) until I surrender my beliefs.” She said it was an “abuse of power…to consistently run to the press each time a suspension has been planned, then taking one’s remuneration away, time and time again”.Section 1.2 of the Manitoba Public Schools Act defines bullying as acts done “to cause, fear, intimidation, humiliation, distress or other forms of harm…[and] to create, a negative school environment for another person….in a context of real or perceived power imbalance between the people involved and is typically, but need not be, repeated behaviour.”The St. Boniface resident said this is precisely what she suffered.“I firmly believe I have been wrongfully accused in all instances. I’m certainly not hateful or racist, and the defamation by the press that ensued is repugnant to say the least. As John Wooden expressed: ‘Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are, and your reputation is who people think you are.’”A hearing with the newly-appointed adjudicator had been set for November 29, but Champagne advised in writing she could not attend. In her statement, she said her inability to pay for more legal fees contributed to her decision to resign.“I surely did not become a school trustee with the intention of entering a legal battle. My objective was to focus on education (the 3Rs) and the moulding of healthy minds, but political activism seems to take precedence,” Champagne wrote.Champagne said she refused to clarify herself to mainstream media outlets “because the facts would have been twisted, leading to misinformation, just like all the articles that were published on my subject so far.”The Western Standard covered Champagne’s story on November 9 with no objections. “ I give credit to the alternative media outlets that report the truth,” she wrote.The former trustee said “Freedom of expression seems to be quickly eroding,” but as the daughter of a WWII veteran, she “was taught to defend what is righteous and just, which includes guarding children’s innocence. I have the duty to pass the torch in honour of the veterans who fought for our rights and freedoms, including the freedom of opinion and religion.“In society, we must re-learn that disagreeing with someone does not equal hate. To equate a lack of approval with hate is dishonest at best, and it is a rather slippery slope that exposes the true goal of the agenda at work.”Champagne said she was being forced off the board, not of her own choice. She concluded with gratitude for the administrators, educators, support staff, parents and community members she interacted with, and thanked those who inspired her and voted for her.
