Jess Drwiega (Facebook)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

using his platform

Red Deer student’s acceptance speech cut from online awards ceremony

Jul 16, 2020 | 5:58 PM

Jesse Drwiega says he is very proud of the recognition he received this week from the province of Alberta.

However, the Red Deer native and Lindsay Thurber grad says his free speech was silenced when the province censored his acceptance speech for his Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for performing arts.

Drwiega and this year’s other recipients were asked to record a short video acceptance speech for an online ceremony held on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, the 25-year-old says his speech was left out of the broadcast because in it he criticized the UCP government for making arts and education funding cuts.

He says he was offered the chance to submit a revised speech, but declined.

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“I thoughtfully considered their request,” he wrote, “but said I could not in good conscience accept the honour without pointing out how the current (government’s) policies are taking access to the arts away from those less fortunate than I.”

Drwiega added, “If they actually cared about my rights and access to the arts, they would have been supportive of my decision to use the platform awarded to me by this honour to call out the actions of our government.”

“Mr. Drwiega was given the opportunity to re-film his video after it appeared to dismiss the non-political nature of the event, given that the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta was hosting the virtual ceremony,” Michael Forian, press secretary for Leela Aheer, Alberta’s minister of culture, multiculturalism and status of women, said in a statement. “The non-partisan role of the Lieutenant Governor allows her to represent all Albertans at ceremonial and state occasions. We are extremely proud of all recipients that demonstrated their exceptional service to Alberta.”

“It means a lot to students like me when our government believes in our efforts to achieve our educational goals,” Drwiega says in a video on his Facebook post. “It saddens me that the current assembly has and continues to cut funding for arts and education in Alberta, the speaker even saying — quote — “The arts simply aren’t in our mandate.””

Drwiega thanked a previous assembly under Premier Ralph Klein, for establishing the award, for which he received a $5,000 scholarship as he pursues his masters in musical theatre at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Following a meeting with NDP MLA Nicole Goehring Thursday morning in which the opposition member expressed her regret over the situation, Drwiega says he’s been invited to attend the legislature on Monday for a potential meeting with Minister Aheer.

Drwiega says he actually received the $5,000 last year, and while giving the medal back has crossed his mind, he adds that he’s working with Goehring and her staff to determine how they can turn the situation into something impactful.

“I won’t let an experience like this take away from how hard I’ve worked to accomplish the things I have,” he said to rdnewsNOW Thursday evening. “That would be a huge error.”

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