A petition to stop Ontario teachers from instructing young children about critical race and gender identity theories was introduced in the legislature by MPP Belinda Karahalios..The petition takes aim at Bill-67, Racial Equity in the Education System Act, 2022, along with other “intersectionality theories” including critical race theory and gender identity theories..“Critical race and gender identity theories should not be taught to young children in Ontario’s classrooms,” said Karahalios in her tweet..“Today I presented StopWoke.ca’s petition in the legislature,” she said while thanking the thousands who’ve signed, along with its creator, Catherine Kronas..“We have thousands and thousands of names both online and as you can see here with me today, written,” said Karahalios addressing the legislature..Karahalios proceeded to read through the petition to the legislature..The petition cites the Ford government’s new Health and Physical Education Curriculum that includes “required teaching of gender identity theory for students too young to receive such teaching” and a training workshop for teachers put on by the Halton Catholic School Board “which claimed publicly funded education is a form of covert white supremacy.”.It also cites Toronto’s Hamilton-Wentworth and York Region District School Boards which have “released Equity [sic] lesson plans developed from intersectionality theories, including critical race theory, which segregates students into ‘privilege’ and ‘oppressed’ hierarchies with the intent of treating them differently based on their immutable characteristics as further reinforced in Bill-67…”.“We, the undersigned, petition Premier Doug Ford, his government, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:.Stop Bill 67, Racial Equity in the Education System Act, 2021 and stop teaching intersectionality theories, including critical race theory, in our publiclyfunded schools which contradicts with the principle of equality before the law and with the individual rights of Ontarians pursuant to a liberal democraticsociety; andStop teaching gender identity theory to students who are minors in our publicly funded schools; andCommit to a results-based education curriculum that focuses on equal opportunity, meritocracy, and educational excellence.”.Bill 67— tabled by Ontario NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo in December — would mandate the Ontario education system to teach critical race theory. On March 3, the bill passed its second reading, almost unanimously..“I am one of the few MPPs at Queen’s Park who is a woman of mixed ethnicity and recognized by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and fighting racism is something we should strive for,” Karahalios said to the media..“But the details of Bill-67 are based on the dangerous ‘woke’ political ideology of critical race theory and do nothing to fight racism in education. This is a costly big-government bill that is designed to vilify our education system and our history as being systemically racist.”.“It attacks, intimidates and seeks to punish by giving bureaucrats police-like powers to fine ordinary Ontarians, including our children, for language deemed unacceptable in our school system.”.The bill also includes a penalty of up to $200 for “racist disturbances” described as anyone disrupting “the proceedings of a school or class through the use of racist language or by engaging in racist activities.”.Karahalios criticized conservative MPPs and independent MPP Rick Nicholls for supporting what she called a “woke bill” and said they are supporting the “left-wing narrative peddled by the Justin Trudeau-Doug Ford duo.”.The founder of StopWoke.ca, Kronas is a Hamilton resident and mother of two children attending school in the Hamilton Wentworth District. Kronas said she, on behalf of concerned parents, decided to take action against the school system teaching “our kids woke ideologies.”.“I was alarmed in March 2021 when the HWDSB released the Learn Disrupt Rebuild program, a politically biased social justice program rooted in Critical Social Justice, including Critical Race Theory and Gender Identity Theory,” said Kronas on the website..Kronas highlighted the program’s Lesson Draft #19 claiming “racism is ordinary, the ‘normal’ way that society does business” and that “racism serves the interest of both white people in power (the elites) materially and working-class white people physically.”.She said she initiated the petition to appeal to the Ontario legislature and was happy to learn MPP Karahalios and New Blue Party Leader Jim Karahalios were interested in working with her with regard to her concerns..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,mrisdon@westernstandard.news,.Twitter: @MelRisdon
A petition to stop Ontario teachers from instructing young children about critical race and gender identity theories was introduced in the legislature by MPP Belinda Karahalios..The petition takes aim at Bill-67, Racial Equity in the Education System Act, 2022, along with other “intersectionality theories” including critical race theory and gender identity theories..“Critical race and gender identity theories should not be taught to young children in Ontario’s classrooms,” said Karahalios in her tweet..“Today I presented StopWoke.ca’s petition in the legislature,” she said while thanking the thousands who’ve signed, along with its creator, Catherine Kronas..“We have thousands and thousands of names both online and as you can see here with me today, written,” said Karahalios addressing the legislature..Karahalios proceeded to read through the petition to the legislature..The petition cites the Ford government’s new Health and Physical Education Curriculum that includes “required teaching of gender identity theory for students too young to receive such teaching” and a training workshop for teachers put on by the Halton Catholic School Board “which claimed publicly funded education is a form of covert white supremacy.”.It also cites Toronto’s Hamilton-Wentworth and York Region District School Boards which have “released Equity [sic] lesson plans developed from intersectionality theories, including critical race theory, which segregates students into ‘privilege’ and ‘oppressed’ hierarchies with the intent of treating them differently based on their immutable characteristics as further reinforced in Bill-67…”.“We, the undersigned, petition Premier Doug Ford, his government, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:.Stop Bill 67, Racial Equity in the Education System Act, 2021 and stop teaching intersectionality theories, including critical race theory, in our publiclyfunded schools which contradicts with the principle of equality before the law and with the individual rights of Ontarians pursuant to a liberal democraticsociety; andStop teaching gender identity theory to students who are minors in our publicly funded schools; andCommit to a results-based education curriculum that focuses on equal opportunity, meritocracy, and educational excellence.”.Bill 67— tabled by Ontario NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo in December — would mandate the Ontario education system to teach critical race theory. On March 3, the bill passed its second reading, almost unanimously..“I am one of the few MPPs at Queen’s Park who is a woman of mixed ethnicity and recognized by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and fighting racism is something we should strive for,” Karahalios said to the media..“But the details of Bill-67 are based on the dangerous ‘woke’ political ideology of critical race theory and do nothing to fight racism in education. This is a costly big-government bill that is designed to vilify our education system and our history as being systemically racist.”.“It attacks, intimidates and seeks to punish by giving bureaucrats police-like powers to fine ordinary Ontarians, including our children, for language deemed unacceptable in our school system.”.The bill also includes a penalty of up to $200 for “racist disturbances” described as anyone disrupting “the proceedings of a school or class through the use of racist language or by engaging in racist activities.”.Karahalios criticized conservative MPPs and independent MPP Rick Nicholls for supporting what she called a “woke bill” and said they are supporting the “left-wing narrative peddled by the Justin Trudeau-Doug Ford duo.”.The founder of StopWoke.ca, Kronas is a Hamilton resident and mother of two children attending school in the Hamilton Wentworth District. Kronas said she, on behalf of concerned parents, decided to take action against the school system teaching “our kids woke ideologies.”.“I was alarmed in March 2021 when the HWDSB released the Learn Disrupt Rebuild program, a politically biased social justice program rooted in Critical Social Justice, including Critical Race Theory and Gender Identity Theory,” said Kronas on the website..Kronas highlighted the program’s Lesson Draft #19 claiming “racism is ordinary, the ‘normal’ way that society does business” and that “racism serves the interest of both white people in power (the elites) materially and working-class white people physically.”.She said she initiated the petition to appeal to the Ontario legislature and was happy to learn MPP Karahalios and New Blue Party Leader Jim Karahalios were interested in working with her with regard to her concerns..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,mrisdon@westernstandard.news,.Twitter: @MelRisdon
