Mary Polak is the former chair of the Surrey School Board in Surrey, British Columbia (BC), Canada and is now a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) for the riding of Langley. The Surrey School Board is controlled by members of the right-wing homophobic Surrey Electors Team. ... {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: The City of Parks City of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Location. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Area 944,735 km² (5th)  - Land 925,186 km²  - Water 19,549 km² (2. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... Legislature Building in Victoria, BC The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is located in Victoria. ...

She recently tried unsuccessfully to gain a seat in the Legislature as a candidate for theBC Liberal Party, but lost the Surrey-Panorama Ridge by-election to Jagrup Brar, the New Democratic Party of British Columbia candidate. The British Columbia Liberal Party (usually called the BC Liberal Party) is a right-of-centre provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, differing from some other right-of-centre parties in being fiscally conservative and socially moderate (or neoliberal). ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social democratic and democratic socialist political party in British Columbia, Canada. ...

Mary Polak was recruited to run as a member of theSurrey Electoral Team by Heather Stilwell. As chair of the Surrey School Board, she voted to ban sex education and condom machines in Surrey schools, even though Surrey has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in BC. She also voted, along with the majority of the school board, that books dealing with families where both parents were of the same sex not be included as optional learning resources. These books were requested by a kindergarten teacher to reflect the realities of today's families and to teach his pupils about diversity and tolerance. Heather Stilwell is a school trustee in Surrey BC. She is a fundamentalist Christian and is well known for her conservative anti-gay opinions. ... Teenage pregnancy refers to the controversial social issue of teenage girls getting pregnant. ... Diversity is the presence of a wide range of variation in the qualities or attributes under discussion. ... Tolerance is a social, cultural and religious term applied to the collective and individual practice of not persecuting those who may believe, behave or act in ways of which one may not approve. ...

A legal battle to overturn the decision to ban the three books went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the school board's decision was overturned. The judgment cited the need for families headed by same-sex couples to be respected. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin dismissed Mary Polak's concerns that children would be confused or misled by classroom information about same-sex parents. She pointed out that the children of same-sex parents are rubbing shoulders with children from more traditional families and wrote: "Tolerance is always age-appropriate, children cannot learn unless they are exposed to views that differ from those they are taught at home." The legal fees ended up costing Surrey taxpayers over $1,200,000. The Supreme Court Building in Ottawa The Supreme Court of Canada is Canadas highest court and is located in the capital city of Ottawa. ... The Right Honourable Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin The Right Honourable Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, PC , LL.B. , MA , BA (born September 7, 1943) is the Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to hold that position in Canada. ... Tolerance is a social, cultural and religious term applied to the collective and individual practice of not persecuting those who may believe, behave or act in ways of which one may not approve. ...

Despite her controversial past, Polak at last won the 2005 provincial election in Langley, with the assistance of veteran political organizer, Kareem Allam. Her margin of victory was much less than that won by the Liberal incumbent, Lynn Stephens in 2001.

External link

• Text Chamberlain v. Surrey School Board.
• Supreme Court says B.C. school board wrong to ban same-sex books
• Book banning in Surrey, What happened?.