Canadians are rightly proud of our public education system. It has been credited with keeping a northern Donald Trump out of Ottawa and has helped keep Canadians innovative, compassionate and informed. All of which makes the creeping privatization of Alberta’s school system really, really scary.

Alberta ships at least $100 million of public money every year to fund high-tuition private, religious and charter schools. These are elite, private schools with tuition of nearly $20,000 per year—one of which uses a teaching method developed by the Church of Scientology.

For a province that prides itself on low taxation, gifting tens of millions of dollars to privatized schools for the rich seems extremely dumb—but most Albertans don’t even know it’s happening. It’s time to rethink the ways Alberta funds private elite and religious schools.

Tell the provincial government that privatizing Alberta’s education system has got to stop.

Alberta’s private, religious and charter schools currently receive 70% of the funding that public schools receive—and then can charge whatever tuition they please on top of that. That means that children from Alberta’s wealthiest families get almost as much as ordinary Albertans for their education, but don’t have to teach anything included in the public curriculum—and often include anti-abortion or homophobic course content.

This also diverts badly needed funds from the public school system, where these millions could reduce class sizes, school fees, and ensuring no child goes hungry at school. Instead, elites that can afford upwards of $18,000 a year in tuition for elementary and secondary school get subsidized with millions in tax dollars.

This unfair gap will continue to drive inequality in education and move Alberta even further toward a for-profit, privatized education system. We. Can. Not. Let. That. Happen.

Demand the Alberta government stop creeping privatization in its schools.

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