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The Saskatchewan NDP is taking aim at the Saskatchewan Party for its lack of communication following the report of alleged abuse at Saskatoon’s Legacy Christian Academy.
Last week’s report has since caused multiple other former students to speak about their experiences at the school. Some former students described the school as isolating and a location of sexual, psychological and emotional abuse.
So far, 18 former students of Saskatoon’s Christian Centre Academy — now Legacy Christian Academy — who have filed claims of criminal assault against the school.
When the report surfaced last week, Education Minister Dustin Duncan released a statement saying the government would wait for the legal proceeding to conclude before launching an official investigation.
That answer did not sit well with NDP Education Critic Matt Love, who on Monday said parents and former students deserve answers for why the school was allowed to continue operating how it did for so many years.
“This story broke about one week ago, but of course Minister Duncan was aware about these stories and allegations for months,” Love said during a media conference in Regina.
“With over 30 former students coming forward this week and more allegations coming out it seems every day, the stories are becoming more recent and troubling. It cannot be downplayed how serious these allegations are.”
The education minister has not spoken publicly or answered any questions from the media since the report.
Love mentioned it’s particularly concerning that Duncan and the Sask. Party haven’t apologized yet.
“Not a word of compassion for the individuals who stepped forward, not a word of condemnation of hate and not a word of assurance that Saskatchewan children and families can expect to be valued and safe when they attend school in Saskatchewan,” Love said.
Love suggests by letting the legal system follow its process, this is leaving the bar for justice extremely low. While Love says he supports the justice system and the work it’s doing, people who attended these schools deserve answers faster.
He feels there are still many questions for the minister to answer and feels so far little has been done.
“Why has no action been taken? Why do these independent schools not face the same transparency requirements as other publicly funded schools?” he asked.
“Should taxpayer funds be funnelled towards partisan activities like political candidates in Saskatchewan schools? Why is this minister prioritizing private, independent schools with massive funding increases and the creation of a new independent school category called ‘certified independent schools’ instead of investing in our publicly funded school divisions? And will he apologize for initially trying to deny knowledge of these issues?”
980 CJME reached out to Duncan’s office seeking comment, but none was received by the time of publication.