Today, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and a courageous family have started the legal fight to keep our classrooms free of censorship, discrimination, stigma and degradation.
The rollback of the 2015 curriculum is nothing more than “a discriminatory misuse of government power — a ham-fisted dog whistle of bigotry, of homophobia, dressed up as a consultation fix,” says Michael Bryant, CCLA’s Executive Director and General Counsel.
Together with another applicant, Becky McFarlane, we have filed a Notice of Application with the Superior Court of Justice (linked below) to stop the 20-year-old curriculum in its tracks.
There are three main grounds for our legal challenge against the rollback of the 2015 sex-education curriculum:
- It violates equality rights and security of the person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- It is discriminatory and contrary to the Human Rights Code
- It contravenes the Education act, which requires the province to create an inclusive and positive school environment
UPDATE: The applications of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario will be heard together at Ontario Divisional Court, and the hearing will be on November 23, 2018.
MATERIALS
- Notice of Application for Judicial Review issued Aug 23 2018
- AFFIDAVIT – Becky McFarlane – Sworn Aug 15 2018
- AFFIDAVIT – Cara Zwibel of CCLA – Affirmed Aug 23 2018
IN THE NEWS
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
For the Media
For further comments, please contact us at media@ccla.org.
