Fight back against white supremacy claims in Canadian schools!

Opposing the TDSB's "Facilitating Critical Conversations"

Recently, over Zoom, I had the chance to meet and speak with a Canadian writer and teacher whom I admire greatly. Woke Watch Canada readers may know Marjorie Gann from the excellent chapter (which deals with the teaching of world history, including slavery) she contributed to last years The 1867 Project, or from her insightful piece on the Peel District School Board’s shocking book cull recently published in the C to C Journal, or from her coverage of antisemitism in children’s books published by the watchdog platform, CAMERA (who expose antisemitism in the media and education).

Marjorie was also the co-author of a book on the history of world slavery called Five Thousand Years of Slavery. It was recognized as a 2012 Notable Book for a Global Society.

Yesterday, Marjorie sent me three template letters that parents and concerned citizens can use to let the school board trustees and MPPs, as well as Education Minister Stephen Lecce, and Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, know that the recent document, Facilitating Critical Conversations, which was written to indoctrinate teachers, is an outrage. That this document accuses the education system of “white supremacy,” is unacceptable and ill-informed racial division. It is utterly un-Canadian, and the architects of this hateful tract should be ashamed. Our leaders should be held accountable for allowing such a waste of resources to take place, and for allowing racist Social Justice ideology to enter our schools. We the people should demand this. Further, we should demand that none of the proposed racially divisive “Critical Conversations” ever take place in any of the schools across Canada.

To be fair, Lecce did order the document removed. That is a positive step. However, it is not enough, we must demand the full removal of divisive Social Justice identity politics from Canadian education, and truly get “back to basics” like Minister Lecce promised.

For people needing a reference, see this article in the National Post.

Here is a link, provided by the Aristotle Foundation, for the TDSB’s controversial document Facilitating Critical Conversations.

James Pew

The following is from Marjorie Gann:

Here is an action people can take on the document Facilitating Critical Conversations released to TDSB staff, accusing the educational system of our province of “white supremacy.”  Now that the cat is really out of the bag -- with educational bureaucrats officially and openly undermining the education system, it's critical that we act en masse to stop this nonsense. 

Here is what I suggest:

Below you will find three sample letters about the document titled Facilitating Critical Conversations, circulated by the Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Division of TDSB for parents. Although Education Minister Stephen Lecce has now ordered the document removed, it is symptomatic of a deeper problem within the board, and in many Ontario school boards.  It is time to turn this ideological indoctrination around.

I suggest that concerned citizens write (sample letters provided below) school trustees (for Toronto residents), MPPs, and the Minister of Education with a Cc to the premier.. It may also be effective to phone government officials. 

Please see letters, emails, and phone numbers, below:

Letter 1: If you live in Toronto, please contact YOUR TDSB TRUSTEE:

Go to this page to find your trustee on the map. You can then email and phone.

https://www.tdsb.on.ca/leadership/trustees

Dear *

It has come to my attention that a race-centred document, “Facilitating Critical Conversations,” was circulated within TDSB. This document tells teachers that the educational system is “inherently designed for the benefit of the dominant culture” and that education is a “colonial structure that centres whiteness.” The document uses the term “white supremacy” to attack the education system.

I disagree. I think Toronto public schools have bent over backwards to serve all children for decades, without regard to race. Unfortunately, the educational bureaucracy’s focus on race and on ideological indoctrination reduces the resources required to focus on the very real needs of children from less advantaged backgrounds. They need to develop literacy, numeracy, and a grasp of history, science, and civics; they will never be helped by a partisan ideology not shared by most Canadians.

Consistently, standardized test results show that Ontario students do not meet grade level in core subjects. For example, in October, 2022, a Black lawyer, Jamil Jivani reported as follows:

“Less than half of Grade 6 students in Ontario meet the provincial standard in math. Only 59% of Grade 3 students meet the provincial standard. The worst numbers are for Grade 9 students. From 2018-19 to 2020-21, there has been a 23% decline in the number of Grade 9ers who can do mathematics at grade level.”

Of the students in the Applied stream, only 55% were successful on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test – a sign that we are failing our most marginalized students.

The Minister of Education has ordered “Facilitating Critical Conversations” removed from classrooms, but that’s not enough!  It is time to eradicate partisan political indoctrination from TDSB schools. It is not the gospel truth; it is only what some people believe.

It is time to disband TDSB’s Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Division and hire people who know how to use phonics to teach reading, people who know how to use solid, sequential math textbooks to teach math, and people who admire the accomplishments of this country (the first nation on earth to pass antislavery legislation) to teach Canadian history.

Sincerely,

Letter 2:  To your own MPP:

You can find your MPP (Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario) on this page:

https://www.ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information

Dear ______________,

It has come to my attention that a race-centred document, “Facilitating Critical Conversations,” was circulated within TDSB. This document tells teachers that the educational system is “inherently designed for the benefit of the dominant culture” and that education is a “colonial structure that centres whiteness.” The document uses the term “white supremacy” to attack the education system.

I disagree. I think Toronto public schools have bent over backwards to serve all children for decades, without regard to race. Unfortunately, the educational bureaucracy’s focus on race and on ideological indoctrination reduces the resources required to focus on the very real needs of children from less advantaged backgrounds. They need to develop literacy, numeracy, and a grasp of history, science, and civics; they will never be helped by a partisan ideology not shared by most Canadians.

Consistently, standardized test results show that Ontario students do not meet grade level in core subjects. For example, in October, 2022, a Black lawyer, Jamil Jivani reported as follows:

“Less than half of Grade 6 students in Ontario meet the provincial standard in math. Only 59% of Grade 3 students meet the provincial standard. The worst numbers are for Grade 9 students. From 2018-19 to 2020-21, there has been a 23% decline in the number of Grade 9ers who can do mathematics at grade level.”

Of the students in the Applied stream, only 55% were successful on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test – a sign that we are failing our most marginalized students.

The Minister of Education has ordered “Facilitating Critical Conversations” removed from classrooms, but that’s not enough!  It is time to eradicate partisan political indoctrination from TDSB schools. It is not the gospel truth; it is only what some people believe.

It is time for the Ministry of Education to do what it did with Peel District School Board in 2020:  put TDSB under supervision.

Then the province should disband TDSB’s Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Division and replace these partisan personnel with people who know how to use phonics to teach reading, people who know how to use solid, sequential math textbooks to teach math, and people who admire the accomplishments of this country (the first nation on earth to pass antislavery legislation) to teach Canadian history.

Please advise as to whether you will suggest these moves to the Minister of Education. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Letter 3:  To Education Minister Stephen Lecce (Please Cc to Premier Ford)

Stephen Lecce:  Stephen.Lecce@pc.ola.org    Phone: 416-325-2600

Premier Ford:  doug.fordco@pc.ola.org   Phone: 416-325-7635

Dear _______________________,

It has come to my attention that a race-centred document, “Facilitating Critical Conversations,” was circulated within TDSB. This document tells teachers that the educational system is “inherently designed for the benefit of the dominant culture” and that education is a “colonial structure that centres whiteness.” The document uses the term “white supremacy” to attack the education system.

I disagree. I think Toronto public schools have bent over backwards to serve all children for decades, without regard to race. Unfortunately, the educational bureaucracy’s focus on race and on ideological indoctrination reduces the resources required to focus on the very real needs of children from less advantaged backgrounds. They need to develop literacy, numeracy, and a grasp of history, science, and civics; they will never be helped by a partisan ideology not shared by most Canadians.

Consistently, standardized test results show that Ontario students do not meet grade level in core subjects. For example, in October, 2022, a Black lawyer, Jamil Jivani reported as follows:

Less than half of Grade 6 students in Ontario meet the provincial standard in math. Only 59% of Grade 3 students meet the provincial standard. The worst numbers are for Grade 9 students. From 2018-19 to 2020-21, there has been a 23% decline in the number of Grade 9ers who can do mathematics at grade level.

Of the students in the Applied stream, only 55% were successful on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test – a sign that we are failing our most marginalized students.

Thank you for ordering “Facilitating Critical Conversations” removed from classrooms, but that’s not enough!  It is time to eradicate partisan political indoctrination from TDSB schools. It is not the gospel truth; it is only what some people believe.

I ask you to take two more actions:

1.  Put TDSB under supervision, as you did with Peel District School Board in 2020.

2.  Disband TDSB’s Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Division and replace these partisan personnel with people who know how to use phonics to teach reading, people who know how to use solid, sequential math textbooks to teach math, and people who admire the accomplishments of this country (the first nation on earth to pass antislavery legislation) to teach Canadian history.

Please advise as to whether you will consider these actions. Thank you.

Sincerely,

___

Thanks for reading. For more on this topic, read Is Doug Ford’s PC Government Finally Standing Up to Woke Lies?

BREAKING NEWS: James Pew has contributed a chapter to the new book Grave Error: How The Media Misled us (And the Truth about Residential Schools). You can read about it here - The Rise of Independent Canadian Researchers

Also, for more evidence of the ideological indoctrination in Canadian education, read Yes, schools are indoctrinating kids! And also, Yes, The University is an Indoctrination Camp!

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