VESTA votes on "free speech"

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Everyone who is a member of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association (VESTA) is encouraged to attend its December general meeting next week, VESTA president Chris Harris told the Independent in a phone interview. Jewish VESTA members will be particularly interested in a resolution that will be put forward at that meeting:

a) That VESTA affirm that freedom of speech is a foundation of democracy and that satire is an important element of free speech;

b) That VESTA oppose the use of SLAPP ["strategic lawsuit against public participation"] suits, as they are a tactic used by the powerful to silence debate and discussion; and

c) That VESTA join with the many respected organizations and individuals to support the Seriously Free Speech Committee in its work to defend public discussion of the Palestine Israel conflict, free of intimidation and censorship.

On page 7 of the association's November/December 2009 newsletter, called VESTA News, Bill Hood, local representative to the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF), lays out some of the motivations behind the motion that will be put forward.

"Basically, whenever we have an issue like this, we want to make sure that our members are aware that these motions are coming," said Harris. "So that's why we did the work beforehand to make sure that, when people come to us with suggestions of motions, that they say they're going to do this, we always want to get it out to our membership, so that our membership can decide whether they want a particular motion to be passed or not."

Items that teachers might want to consider when casting their vote on this resolution are the satirical Danish cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad that caused violence, including fatalities, around the world; why the resolution only cites Israel and the Palestinian conflict, and not Sudan or China – places where human rights are being violated; why a local teachers union is even taking on such items when there are so many pressing concerns facing the Vancouver School Board, including more than $40 million in accumulated budget shortfalls (see vesta.ca); and the types of issues that concern the Seriously Free Speech Committee (seriouslyfreespeech.wordpress.com).

If the proposed motion is passed by VESTA, it will be put forward for consideration at the BCTF annual general meeting in March 2010. Citing frequently low turnout at such meetings, one teacher noted, "If a dozen Vancouver teachers could be persuaded to attend and to speak at the meeting, it could be decisive."

The VESTA meeting will take place at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Charles Tupper Secondary School, 419 East 24th Ave.

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