Commentary
Early in June, several Canadian news outlets reported that Francine Champagne, an elected trustee of the Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was suspended for allegedly taking “inappropriate actions” relative to the “Trustee Code of Conduct.”
CBC News reported that the LRSD has publicly accused Champagne of targeting the “2SLGBTQIA+ community” and causing harm to the entire school division. The board unanimously voted to suspend her without pay for three months, “the strongest sanction possible under the Manitoba Public Schools Act.”
According to the CBC, LRSD Chair Sandy Nemeth said: “This decision to suspend trustee Champagne came after the realization of some incredibly unfortunate—and I will define unfortunate to mean disrespectful, hateful—comments on her Facebook page specifically indicating transphobia, homophobia, and just a general complete lack of [respect] for the LGBTQ community.”…