Dear Mr. Speaker,
I am writing on behalf of my organization, BYTE, to express my disappointment in your reaction to the recent FHÂ Collins gym protests.
You may not agree with what the students are asking for, or even the manner in which they acted while within the public gallery, and that is fine. It is your right to hold these beliefs and even to publically express them. This is not why we are disappointed.
We are disappointed by the manner in which you expressed your displeasure for the actions of the youth. The letter you wrote to the youth, and presumably also their parents, told them that their behaviour showed a “lack of understanding†of the freedoms they hold as citizens of Canada. This was not only patronising to the intense intelligence of these youth, but also incorrect.
As someone who has served in the military, I have no doubt that you have seen societies in which peaceful protest and the right to express opinions different to those of government has been supressed by the powers. Indeed, enabling freedom of expression for under-represented people is one of the reasons that Canada has taken part in peacekeeping missions. Through their own peaceful protests, the students from FH Collins were living up to these proud traditions.
Organisations like BYTE have been working extremely hard for many years to tell young people they are valued members of society and in your actions, you have told them this is not the case.
If you disagree with their request, that is your prerogative, but treating them as though their concerns do not matter is not. For this reason, we ask you to step down from your criticism of these amazing youth and to treat them with the same respect that you would treat an adult. This is the respect that they deserve.
Kind Regards,
Chris Rider
Executive Director
B.Y.T.E. Society
Phone: (867) 667-7975 Fax: (867) 393-2112
Email: ed@www.yukonyouth.com www.yukonyouth.com
Update: we received a response from the Hon. David Laxman in the form of an open letter. I am posting it for the sake of providing a balanced set of opinions:Â Letter to Chris Rider (BYTE).