A press conference was organized in Toronto on December 12 by Citizens For Good Education, a coalition of parental-advocacy, ethnic, cultural, and faith-based groups. The Wynne government’s Sex-Ed consultation process was blasted as fraudulent and disrespectful to the rights of parents.  Greater parental involvement in drafting a new curriculum was demanded, while Campaign Life Coalition, a partner organization, spoke out against the Sex-Ed program’s unsavory connection to an alleged pedophile and to other groups with radical agendas.

The Citizens For Good Education (CGE) coalition demanded transparent and meaningful consultation on the Sex-Ed component of Ontario’s revised Health & Physical Education curriculum.   First proposed in 2010 before being suspended as a result of widespread public outrage, the controversial curriculum planned to teach about anal and oral sex in Grade 7, promote masturbation as a means of self-discovery in Grade 6, teach about homosexuality and transgenderism in Grade 3, and get 6-year-olds discussing genitalia in Grade 1. 

     

The Liberal government has announced this curriculum will be re-introduced in the Fall of 2015 but is refusing to publish the final contents of the program.  We expect the curriculum will resemble the 2010 version. In fact the current Education Minister Liz Sandals, has stated numerous times that the original consultations conducted in 2010 with "experts" would still be a basis for the upcoming changes.

In response to the government posting a flimsy online survey to feign parental input on a document it wasn’t even allowing parents to see, the CGE coalition accused the Wynne government of hiding the Sex-Ed curriculum from parents.  They argued Wynne conducted a “smoke and mirrors” consultation process “to pretend there was parental support where none actually exists”.   The organizers accused the Wynne Liberals of lying by breaking their promise to conduct a truly comprehensive consultation process.  In the words of former Premier Dalton McGuinty, the Liberals promised to “create more opportunities for parents to lend shape to a policy with which they are more comfortable”.

The CGE partners included: The Toronto Chinese Catholic Task-force, The Brampton Multicultural Alliance, the Hispanic Pastoral Network, Parents As First Educators, The Toronto Chinese Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship, The Catholic Civil Rights League, The York Parents Association, The Federation of Chinese Clan Associations of Canada, The United Front of Canada, Public Education Advocates for Christian Equity, The Nanhai District (Canada) Association, Chinese Canadian Civic Alliance, Campaign Life Coalition, Jubilee Centre for Christian Social Action, iiNFLUENCE Magazine, Real Women of Canada and others.  

CGE spokesperson, Mirtha Coronel, gave several reasons why the consultation survey was “farcical”:

• Only 1 parent per school was allowed to complete it, leaving millions of parents without a voice.
• Parents were hand-picked by the principal making it easy to rig the survey results by choosing those known to agree with the Kathleen Wynne’s agenda.
• Questions did not address any specific content in the curriculum, nor any of the controversial elements from the original 2010 curriculum that had angered parents.
• Survey questions were engineered to be ambiguous and deal only with generic motherhood concepts that nobody could disagree with, allowing the government to later claim that parents were onboard.
• The survey was available only in English & French, meaning that the 1 in 4 Ontarians for whom English is a second language would find it impossible to complete the survey, even if it was offered to them.

Compromise plan offered to Kathleen Wynne

At the press conference, CGE spokesperson Mirtha Coronel asked the Wynne government to agree to a 6-point plan to start over with a brand new consultation process. The detailed plan, she said, would be fair both to the government’s alleged desire to have “up to date” curriculum, and to the right of Ontario families to understand and help shape what is being taught to their children. Below is the 6-point plan.

1. Defer the September 2015 implementation date.  That way, the necessary consultation process will not be cut short by an artificial deadline. Instead, plan for a Fall 2016 implementation date. That will allow enough time for a robust consultation and avoid accusations that Wynne is deliberately excluding the input of parents.
2. Put the draft curriculum online immediately so that all parents can read it at their own pace.
3. Set up a detailed online survey that allows ALL Ontario families to comment on the curriculum, not just those hand-picked by a principal.
4. Make printed copies of the draft curriculum available at every elementary school for all parents who would like to study it at their leisure.
5. In the printed copies which interested parents can request from the Principal, include a blank “commentary” section in the margins of every page to allow parents to mark it up with their opinions whether favourable, unfavourable, or to provide suggestions for improvement. The printed copy should include a parent info page so that parents can write in their contact information. This will allow the government to follow up on any suggestions, and also provide a mechanism to send every parent an acknowledgement of receipt.
6. Make printed and online copies of the proposed curriculum available in the minority languages found most commonly in this province. They include Italian, Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, Punjabi, Tagalog (Filipino), Portuguese, Arabic, German and Polish.  [Note: The fact that the online survey is only available in English and French, is not inclusive of the millions of immigrants who live in Ontario and whose mother tongue is not English or French. They will not understand the draft curriculum planned for their children and thus, are being marginalized. The government must be more inclusive of these ethnic minorities. They deserve to be consulted no less than anglophones and francophones.]

Petition campaign launched to pressure government

At the press conference, Citizens For Good Education, together with its partner groups launched a new petition campaign urging the government to start over with a more honest and transparent consultation.  Each CGE partner will distribute the hard copy paper petition through its supporter network. In the new year, petitions will be presented to MPPs who will be asked to read them out in Ontario’s legislature at Queen’s Park. 

Campaign Life Coalition has made the hardcopy petition available to download here.  An online version can also be signed here.
 

“Grooming” children for sex: a legitimate fear

Ten of the CGE partners at the press conference read out individual statements on behalf of their respective organizations.  Jack Fonseca, a Campaign Life Coalition spokesperson and father of two young children, spoke out strongly against the Sex-Ed curriculum’s ties to an alleged child pornographer, the disgraced former Education Minister, who is facing 7 counts of child pornography including making and distributing child porn..

“In 2010, when parents first learned of this curriculum, Sex-Ed lessons that were too graphic at too young an age made them feel uncomfortable,” said Fonseca.

“Now that we know it was written under the direction of an alleged child pornographer, former Deputy Education Minister Ben Levin, parents are even less comfortable. Levin’s hand in an explicit program that seems to sexualize kids has only heightened concerns, including my own, as the father of a kindergartner.”

It is legitimate and necessary to question whether, if the allegations are true, this explicit curriculum may have been written with the aim of priming children to be available for sex.

 

Possible influence by sex-ed advocates with radical views

Fonseca also warned that some groups lobbying for the curriculum’s reintroduction have known connections to the government and to public health authorities.  He said their radical views on sexuality “would repulse the vast majority of Ontario parents”.

One example he gave is an abortion-advocacy group called Planned Parenthood Toronto which is on record demanding that the Liberals bring back the shelved 2010 curriculum. Fonseca said it’s notable that most public health authorities take their cue on sex education from Planned Parenthood. 

Therefore he argued, it would be “highly unusual” if it wasn’t one of the “experts” with which the Wynne government consulted to develop the controversial curriculum in the first place.  

And why should the possible influence of Planned Parenthood Toronto (PPT) be a concern? The CLC representative pointed out that PPT has a radical “sexual rights” ideology that promotes risky forms of sexual experimentation as a good, so long as condoms are used and the participants (even minors) give consent.  

Fonseca highlighted two educational resources produced by PPT and published on its website. The first is a resource for 13-year-olds called MAKING SEX FEEL GOOD which is filled with sex tips.  It also seems to encourage the viewing of pornography, suggesting to kids as young as Grade 7:  “Looking at sexy magazines or movies and using fantasy is another way to explore what you like and don’t like sexually.” Read that resource here.

Another one of PPT’s educational resources for 13-year-olds is called ANAL PLAY 101. It promotes the use of dildos and the unhealthy practice known as “fisting”. Read that resource here.  

A second organization named Queer Ontario has connections to the Liberal government, and is on record demanding the re-introduction of the 2010 Sex Ed curriculum.  In 2012, this group admitted to having helped the Liberal government write amendments to Bill 13, The Accepting Schools Act.   CLC pointed out that the Queer Ontario states on its website that one of its goals include the “celebration” of “sex acts, such as bondage”, “sadism, masochism”, and “polyamorous sex” (ie. group sex). View a screen capture from its webpage.

Campaign Life Coalition concluded that the views of these pro-Sex Ed lobbyists do not align with the values of most parents, and contribute to their fear that the 2010 curriculum will sexualize children.

Catholic Civil Rights League:  imposing Sex Ed on Catholic schools would be unconstitutional

Dr. Christian Elia, PhD, Executive Director of the Catholic Civil Rights League sent Kathleen Wynne a stern warning about imposing on Catholic schools any curriculum that is incompatible with the Faith.

“The CCRL would also like to remind the provincial government that it is we as Catholics who determine what is taught and how programs are delivered in our Catholic schools. It is the responsibility of Catholic School Boards to follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Education’s curriculum documents while developing the detailed courses of study that ensure that all aspects of provincial curricula are in line with the faith and morals of the Catholic Church”, said Dr. Elia.

The CCRL spokesperson expanded: “This is a constitutional right under Section 93 of the Constitution Act that has been upheld by our courts on many occasions. Should the Liberals with their majority government proceed with these proposed changes… the CCRL will mobilize all Catholics to remind our Trustees and the Directors of Education of our Catholic School Districts that we must not implement any policy, or any curricular expectations, that violate Catholic teaching”

“We remind the government of our constitutional rights. Any radical imposition of teaching demands that conflict with the rights of Catholics to raise our children in accordance with our faith and morals will be vehemently opposed”.

Reaction from Education Minister Liz Sandals

Numerous media outlets attended the press conference including CBC Radio, Sun News and Metroland Media.  When Education Minister Liz Sandals was asked to respond, she ignored the 6-point plan offered by CGE and implied the government will plow ahead with its plans.

“…we heard from parents with children in elementary schools across the province, and from all four of our publicly funded boards,” she said. “The input we received from parents, along with expert advice and research, and extensive consultations with students, teachers, faculties of education, universities and colleges, including consultations conducted between 2007 and 2010, as well as input from other organizations and stakeholders, will assist the government as it finalizes the curriculum. We look forward to implementing an up-to-date curriculum in schools for the 2015-2016 school year.”

The full news article can be read here. 

Clearly, this is not a satisfactory response by the Minister, and we hope that the coalition’s petition campaign will make the government more open-minded and inclusive about working with the parents who’ve been shut out of the consultation.  In the meantime, we urge all Ontario parents to contact your local MPP, school board trustee, and your child's teachers and educate them on the concerns that abound with the proposed Sex Ed curriculum.  

MPP action item: Ask your MPP, regardles of party affiliation, to put pressure on the government to adopt the 6-point consultation plan proposed by Citizens For Good Education.

School trustee action item: Ask your school trustee, whether Public or Catholic, to speak out publicly against the fraudulent consultation survey. Also ask them to build consensus with fellow trustees that the Board will refuse to implement the Sex Ed curriculum until such time as parents, including immigrant and ethnic minorities, have had their say and they are comfortable with the curriculum. Remember, Catholic trustees have a special constitutional privilege to reject the curriculum outright.

Teacher action item:  Meet with your child's teacher in person. Ask them to refuse to teach this age-inappropriate and psycho-sexually destructive curriculum, no matter what the Ministry documents say.

To view excerpts from the original 2010 curriculum document, visit our special web page.