A Teacher Blogs

As I write this, Canada's federal election is five days away , with Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party enjoying a lead as Tory fortunes decline. And Thomas Mulcair's New Democratic Party settles into third place.  "Nothing to see here. Move along," you might say. Normally a Liberal win is welcome news among the party's traditional base of new immigrants. This demographic has fortified the Liberals since the days of Pierre Elliot Trudeau and forged inter-generational loyalty to the party. And, of course, the Tories know this. So this happened. CBC News: Conservative ads aimed at Chinese, Punjabi voters claim Trudeau backs brothels, pot sales to kids And there's this from Jason Kenney , our Minister of National Defence, formerly Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister f...

A month ago I posted about  a speech given by Peel District School Board director Tony Pontes, stating his board's position on the updated Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum. Peel, like Toronto, had been the focus of parent protests against portions of the curriculum dealing with Human Development and Sexual Health. Mr Pontes, whose speech was quoted in the Toronto Star , was adamant: “We cannot — we will not — by action or inaction endorse discrimination,” said Pontes, who cited Ontario’s Human Rights Code as applying to people of all sexual orientation and gender identity. “Supported by legal opinion, bolstered by our core values, I would no more say yes to someone wanting a child excluded because of a discussion about LGBTQ than I would a discussion about race or gender.”   And now, Toronto enters the fray. The Toronto neighbourhood of Thorncliffe Park has seen, without a doubt, the highest concentration of parent protest against the curriculum. The first...