Parts of the new curriculum have been deeply unpopular among small, vocal pockets of the province since it was introduced previous year, specifically among some religious groups and new Canadians.
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The curriculum was updated a year ago, for the first time since 1998, but some parents complained that same-sex relationships, gender identity and masturbation were being taught.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative leader says he didn’t know that a letter was being distributed with his name on it saying he would scrap the Liberal government’s sex-ed curriculum. But they also say questions remain about where the letter originated, whether it really was with the local campaign as Brown has implied. But the Liberals call it evidence of Brown “flip flopping”.
A provincial byelection Thursday in east Toronto is giving residents across the province a closer look at the still relatively untested leader of the Opposition, whose recent flip-flop on a new sex education curriculum has dominated the last week of the campaign.
If there is a Progressive Conservative government after the 2018 provincial election, Brown said he would consult parents during the next regular curriculum updated.
It may not matter that Brown has distanced himself from the letter, he said.
“If the correction is not going to the thousands of people who received translated copies of this letter, he is intentionally misleading those voters”, she said.
“That’s the trick”, Cochrane said. But he also thinks the NDP stands a good chance.
The byelection was triggered by the sudden resignation in March of Liberal backbencher Bas Balkissoon.
City councillor Raymond Cho won the Scarborough-Rouge River riding, defeating the Liberals in a seat they have held since it was created in 1999.
Neither the Liberals nor the Tories made their candidate available to The Canadian Press this week for an interview.
“The lesson for me is to continue to focus on the fundamentals: on hydro, on jobs, on healthcare, to focus on the core issues that Ontarians care about”, he said. He did not want to speak about sex ed.
“I realize some of my supporters in Scarborough are passionate about this issue”, he said.
Voters will choose from a whopping 11 candidates, including some vehemently anti-sex-ed fringe and independent candidates and a None of the Above candidate – in both name and party. “I’m leader of the party”.
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But the two have set aside their differences and Above Znoneofthe is running as a None of the Above party candidate in Scarborough-Rouge River.
