Premier Danielle Smith is defending her government’s new policy to remove sexually explicit content from school libraries, calling pornography a “problem for young adults.” The move, set to take effect October 1, has stirred debate over education priorities.
Responding to criticism on her weekly provincewide radio call-in show Saturday — where some callers argued that classroom overcrowding and underfunding are more pressing concerns — Smith said it’s crucial that children only access age-appropriate materials.
“We need to ensure seven-year-olds aren’t exposed to pornographic images,” she said. “If I can’t even describe these books on air without offending the audience, then clearly they don’t belong in elementary schools.”
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced the policy Thursday, emphasizing it is not a book ban. The change follows a review in May, which found four graphic novels with explicit content in school libraries in Edmonton and Calgary.
The books in question include:
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Flamer by Mike Curato
New rules now prohibit the depiction of specific sexual acts in school materials. Nicolaides released a detailed list of banned content categories as part of the policy update.
Smith acknowledged broader concerns in the education system and said consultations are underway with teachers and the public on other topics, including classroom violence.
“One of the biggest issues we’ve heard from educators is student violence making classrooms unsafe,” she said.
Smith reiterated that protecting children from inappropriate content remains a core concern for her government.
