By Manya Shahi, Maria Khan, Maryam Nadeem and Rida Rahman
Students from all over Ontario have been out on the streets, walking out to fight for our curriculum rights as a single body. These protests have been occurring during the past month, sparking a lot of attention throughout the area and even making its way onto the news. So, why are students doing this in the first place? The reason for all these young voices rising up to fight for our rights is because of a man named Doug Ford. He is the current premier of Ontario and once he gained power, he made a lot of decisions that completely changed the course of young Canadians educations. Specifically, the one people are most concerned about is the Sex-Ed curriculum. One anonymous students says, “The school curriculum should cater to the youth. LGBTQ+ individuals need to be represented and educated.” In the most updated curriculum, students learn about concepts such as gender identity, sexualities, emotional well being, consent, and internet safety. However, Doug Ford reverted the entire curriculum back to the 1998 version, saying that he would not tolerate anybody “using our children as pawns for grandstanding political games.” Ford says he believes that the curriculum infringes upon the freedom of religion by forcing Catholic schools to teach students about gender and sexuality and makes parents uncomfortable, saying “when it comes to teaching our kids, we have to consult with the parents.” Green party leader, Mike Schreiner, states, “When children in Ontario start school in under two weeks, they’ll be learning a sexual-health curriculum from the last century,” followed by, “I cannot believe that the premier and the minister of education want teachers to pretend the online world of social media and sexting doesn’t exist. I cannot believe they want teachers to be silent on gender diversity, putting the safety and mental health of our LGBTQ+ youth at risk.” Along with this, Doug Ford has taken away millions of dollars that went into our education, resulting in large backlash from many students. As well as that, Ontario schools are now short an estimated $100 million dollars originally provided for repairs to facilities. But, it doesn’t stop there. He has also thrown away a lot of hard work Canada has put into advocating for Indigenous rights. The Canadian government was planning to update the curriculum with Indigenous rights, however, that idea got scrapped by Ford’s recent changes. Also, they cancelled three writing sessions total which include; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission curriculum, American Sign Language and Indigenous Languages in Kindergarten. However, on September 21, 2018, a historic rally took place. Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute students took part in a provincial wide protest against the premier’s new secondary school curriculum changes. For the first time at CHCI, students left class to participate in a peaceful protest that took place in their last period. The rally began at 1:10pm on the school’s football field, where students of diverse political backgrounds united with one common belief- protesting the $100 million funding decrement of Ontario public schools, as well as the changes towards the sexual education and indigenous education curriculums. Students showed up with impactful posters, showcasing their stance on the soon to come changes. Posters and signs expressed outlooks such as “Indigenous history is Canadian history” and “How can I have pride, when I can’t fix my flag high? ”. Dozens of students marched towards Speakers Corner in downtown Kitchener, where they proudly chanted, “We do not consent!”, showing that they were not hesitant to voice their beliefs. The group beheld numerous guest speakers, some of whom included Anna Wingee, Hailey, Heyden Cowie, and Cameron Heights Co-Chiefs Meena Waseem and Noah Velji. The speakers spoke up about their personal experiences and how such changes may impact their futures and peers. The rally inspired many students to sign a petition, supporting the cause. The petition was a large success, gaining over a hundred signatures. As well as hosting many student speakers, the walkout became a platform for political leader, Laura Mae Lindo. The member of Provincial parliament, gave a speech about how these changes may affect her children and how she is proud of the young people choosing to stand up not only for themselves, but for future generations as well. She stated that though this rally itself may not be of large success, students cannot give up. She reminded protesters to keep fighting for the change they wanted. The bold assembly was noticed by the downtown population, as many citizens cheered and honked to show their support. Additionally, the protest was featured on the CNN news channel, bringing even more attention to the issue of a curtailed curriculum. The participating students of Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute said that they stood with their peers and would continue to stand up for what they believe is right. Many felt that the views of young people are often overlooked in terms of politics and said they would use this rally to make their voice heard. Students all over the province continue to speak up and take action and are hoping their efforts result in an educational bill that is not based on a politicians beliefs. References: Desmarais, Anna. “Anger Grows over Ontario Decision to End Update of Curriculum with Indigenous Content.” IPolitics, 9 July 2018, ipolitics.ca/2018/07/09/doug-ford-scraps-reconciliation-curriculum-writing-sessions/. Jeffords, Shawn, et al. “Doug Ford Warns Ontario Teachers Not to Teach Old Sex-Ed Curriculum, Invites Parents to Use 'Snitch Line'.” National Post, 23 Aug. 2018, nationalpost.com/news/politics/ontario-announces-broad-consultations-on-education-issues-including-sex-ed. Laing, Sarah. “Everything Doug Ford Has Cancelled So Far.” Flare, 24 Oct. 2018, www.flare.com/news/doug-ford-changes-for-ontario/.
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