Bullying is a serious problem that must be addressed by children and students, by parents and communities, by government and society. In light of recent tragic events in which bullied students have taken their own lives, the government of Ontario has put forward new legislation intending to combat bullying schools. There are two bills being proposed. The governing Liberals have introduced Bill 13. A Progressive Conservative MPP has introduced Bill 14 with the same goal of combatting bullying.

Having examined the proposed amendments in Bill 13, we must conclude that it is a very dangerous and radical piece of legislation for society at large and for Christians in particular. This Bill has already had its second reading and first hour of debate on December 7^th, and is being pushed through quickly.

-       The pre-amble and some of the sections explicitly list sexual orientation groups as being specially worthy of protection, but conspicuously fail to list religious groups at all (a significant and, one can assume, a purposeful omission despite reports that evangelical Christians are ostracized more and more in the public school system);

-       The definition of bullying includes the idea of “real or perceived” power imbalance as a factor in bullying. A type of power imbalance listed in the bill is religion. This idea goes hand in hand with the now popular concept of correcting historic disadvantage (i.e. that the Church has “historically” been persecuting homosexuals for centuries); therefore, any Christian student or teacher engaging in an honest discussion with a homosexual student about sexuality could be seen as using an apparent “power imbalance” to “attack” homosexuality and “bully” the gay student;

-       Although the Education Act does not apply in full to private Christian schools, private Christian high schools that wish to be accredited and wish to issue the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) will have to comply with any changes regarding curricula: the Act requires “boards to develop and implement an equity and inclusive education policy, and, if required by the Minister, submit the policy to the Minister and implement changes to the policy as directed by the Minister”. This means that schools like Guido de Brès or Heritage Christian School will need their bully policies to be vetted by the Ministry which is currently pushing a radical sexual diversity program;

-       Support for clubs that celebrate homosexuality is required in all Public and Catholic Schools. Section 9 states that “Every board shall support pupils who want to establish and lead… (d) activities or organizations that promote the awareness and understanding of, and respect for, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including organizations with the name gay-straight alliance or another name.” Although this section would not apply to private schools immediately, it would apply to Catholic schools and if the government can force Catholics to change their beliefs on sexuality, what is stopping them from forcing private schools from changing their beliefs?

-       Finally, the new law would force churches that rent school property to either follow this new agenda or go elsewhere. This is particularly distressing for smaller Christian churches that typically meet in public school spaces to worship.

What can we do? We can pursue one of three options:

1. We could lobby the provincial government to remove the gay references in Bill 13. This is likely to fail in light of popular opinion.
2. We could lobby for the government to add Christophobia, Xenophobia, anti-religious bigotry, etc. to the bill. Currently, bullying on the basis of religion is not mentioned at all in this bill. We could possibly get traction here but even this will be difficult because of the recent fiasco of Islamic prayers in the Toronto schools; this government would prefer to see no religion at all in schools.
3. Our third option would be to support something better all together. Bill 14 is a better piece of legislation for a number of reasons. It targets bullying in all of its forms without choosing which types of bullying are worse than others and without directing teachers and students to promote a certain ideology. Bill 14 has been thoroughly researched and thought out; the MPP meant to table Bill 14 as a private member’s bill long before the issue of bullying really started to hit the news. It is therefore not based on political opportunism. Finally, Bill 14 is less invasive and leaves religion alone.

It is wrong for a government to impose, with the force of law, a social engineering experiment on Ontario’s children. Forcing all schools, Public, Catholic and possibly private Christian high schools, to teach this material will not stop bullying. Schools don’t have to teach the intricacies of every element of difference to combat bullying. They simply need to combat bullying.

Please act to protect children and to protect religious freedom. You can:

1. Learn more at www.TakeBackOurSchools.org
2. Call Premier McGuinty at 416-325-1941
3. Email Premier McGuinty and all MPPs by CLICKING HERE. You can use the sample letters below as a template.
4. Mail a letter to your MPP to express your concerns (see sample letters below). Click here for a list to find your MPP.
5. Sign a Petition at www.stopcorruptingchildren.com

Please make your voice known. If not you, then who? If not now, when?

SAMPLE LETTER 1

Dear Mr. McGuinty: 

I fully support a plan to vigorously combat bullying in schools. However, I am concerned by the inclusion of the proposed legislation of the identification of (and the requirement to teach little children) aberrations in sexual identity and practice. This is a responsibility and privilege that lies with parents and not with the government to teach. This proposed legislation violates parental rights and usurps their role in the shaping of their children’s moral and sexual identity.

Furthermore, God has created only two kinds of human beings, i.e. male and female. Anyone who presents him/herself as a departure from this basic understanding should be met with compassion and empathy, but that lifestyle ought not to be taught in schools as being legitimate manifestations and alternatives to what God has created.

I respectfully request that the relevant sections of Bill 13, e.g. Sections 2, 9, and the part of Section 7(2) that relates to religious organizations renting a school building for worship, be removed from the proposed legislation.

Sincerely,

SAMPLE LETTER 2

Dear MPP ____________:

I am in full support of a plan to vigorously counter bullying in schools. However, I have serious concerns regarding the language and implications of Bill 13. I have read the proposed law and am alarmed by the inclusion of the proposed legislation of the identification of (and the requirement to teach little children) aberrations in sexual identity and practice. This is a responsibility and privilege that lies with parents and not with the government to teach. This legislation violates parental rights and usurps their role in the shaping of their moral and sexual identity.

Furthermore, I have read Bill 14 and find that it is much better suited for combatting bullying. It targets bullying in all of its forms without choosing which types of bullying are worthy of greater attention than others and without directing teachers and students to promote a certain ideology. Bill 14 has been thoroughly researched and thought out; it was researched and drafted long before the issue of bullying really started to hit the news and is therefore not based on political opportunism. Finally, Bill 14 is less invasive, leaves religion alone and respects parental rights. 

I respectfully request that you give due consideration to my concerns and the concerns of many Ontarians. Please support Bill 14 as a better alternative to Bill 13 and a more effective means of combatting bullying in Ontario schools.

Sincerely,