As public opinion throughout North America turns against controversial diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, the largest school board in Canada is poised to double down on this divisive agenda.
Last week, a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) committee voted in support of sending a request to the provincial government to make DEI certification mandatory for teachers.
The motion, which received unanimous support from all trustees present, doesn’t just call to make this certification mandatory for all TDSB teachers, it proposes that it become the standard for every teacher in the province.
The text of the motion claims that, “The introduction of a mandatory certification on equity, diversity and anti-racism for all K-12 teachers in Ontario would ensure that teachers are better equipped to support racialized students and educators effectively,” and that, “Ongoing professional development on equity and diversity will help ensure teachers are equipped with current best practices to further an inclusive classroom.”
The motion was actually put forward by one of three student trustees. However, what gave it teeth was that it was turned into a formal agenda item at the program and school services committee by two elected trustees. Now that it’s been given the thumbs up by that committee, it will be voted on by all trustees on Wednesday.
Talk about failing to read the room. The general public, private companies and even public institutions are now moving away from DEI. Whether it’s ditching hiring quotas or cancelling costly handouts to activist groups, McDonald’s, Walmart, Ford and Meta are just some of the major companies now doing a reversal on their DEI programs.
While some people are trying to fight this evolution, it seems as though public opinion backs it. A recent poll by Leger found a majority of Canadians — including a majority of immigrant respondents — oppose diversity quotas, which is a hallmark of the DEI agenda. It may have sounded reasonable in principle, but DEI in practice has come to stand for “division, hostility and bullying” for people of all walks of life.
The TDSB motion offers no recommendations as to what DEI certification would look like. The motion simply compares it to how the province recently introduced mandatory sexual abuse prevention certification for teachers.
No evidence is provided to support the motion’s claims that bringing in DEI certification would result in a more positive and inclusive school environment. What the TDSB does have is mounting evidence that the DEI initiatives it has undertaken have proven divisive and harmful, even leading to tragic consequences.
In 2021, the TDSB hired the company of self-described “equity consultant” Kike Ojo-Thompson to conduct high-priced online seminars that were attended by senior school board administrators, including principals.
A Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) judgment concerning the seminars concluded that what went on during them was “abusive, egregious and vexatious, and rises to the level of workplace harassment and bullying.”
The WSIB probe was prompted following complaints and legal action by Richard Bilkszto, a principal who attended the sessions. Bilkszto had politely interjected when Ojo-Thompson described Canada as a “bastion of white supremacy and colonialism.” But Ojo-Thompson would tolerate no critical feedback from participants and instead went on the attack against the well-regarded educator, implying he himself was a white supremacist.
Bilkszto continued to seek redress and worked to change the system but, two years after the incident, he committed suicide amidst the mental anguish of his ongoing ordeal.
The fact that the TDSB would think it wise to expose every teacher in the province to DEI training should outrage all educators and their union representatives, given that the WSIB characterized what Bilkszto and others endured as “workplace harassment.” Mandatory DEI can clearly end up being a legal and human resources liability for any workplace that introduces it.
If the board does vote to approve this motion, it’s hard to imagine the provincial government would be willing to go along with it. But it’s also one of those procedural things that could end up being implemented on the sly, without any real political or public notice.
This is why it’s worth keeping a close eye on this unfolding saga. What began as one student trustee’s musings could become province-wide policy if it isn’t stopped in its tracks.
The Toronto public school system is a mess right now. Academic excellence is on the decline, the curriculum has become politicized and schools are less safe — both for students and teachers. Yet officials seem more interested in woke gestures that divide, instead of putting the hard work into meaningful change that benefits students and staff of all backgrounds.
Society is thankfully moving away from DEI, recognizing it’s far more harmful than many well-meaning supporters first thought. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be last gasps of it arising periodically.
National Post
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Anthony Furey is a newspaper columnist, broadcaster and recent Toronto mayoral candidate.