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The provincial government wants new rules around gay-straight alliances to be in place for the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, at the latest.

Bill 24 prevents Alberta schools from notifying parents if their child joins a GSA. It passed Wednesday morning in the legislature 42-23.

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When Education Minister David Eggen rose to close debate just before 11 a.m., he told MLAs they could be on the right side of history, or they could oppose the bill.

After it passed, he said government had collaborated with schools for more than two years to build solid GSA policies, so the groundwork to implement Bill 24 is already there.

In terms of policing the new legislation, Eggen said teachers will need to follow the changes to the code of conduct. His ministry will also pursue complaints.

“Laws are only good if you make sure you actually are enforcing them,” he said.

“Teachers have been looking forward to this clarity, so I think compliance around the law will be based on education, acceptance and internalization of the law to realize it’s the right thing to do.”