Less than a week after scraping the modernized sex-ed curriculum, Ontario's education minister is reassuring the public that concepts such as consent and cyber safety will still be taught in the fall.
Lisa Thompson offered the clarification during question period at Queen's Park on Monday.
"We are going to stand firmly in support of students and the reality they face in 2018. We know they need to learn about consent. We know they need to learn about cyber safety. We know they need to learn about gender identity and appreciation," said Thompson.
The new Progressive Conservative government came under fire last Thursday after it announced plans to shelve the updated sex-ed curriculum introduced by the Liberals in 2015 and instead revert back to the old version from 1998. The Tories said school boards were being instructed to use the 20-year-old curriculum while it carried out consultations with parents on how sex-ed should be taught.
However, Thompson has now stated that only part of the sex-ed curriculum will be replaced, the part containing "developing sexual relations."
She called the former Liberal government's consultation process "completely flawed" and said the PCs would offer parents a "fulsome, thoughtful, inclusive consultation."
Thompson clarification was in response to a question put forward by London West NDP MPP Peggy Sattler, who called the government's decision to repeal the modernized sex-ed curriculum "dragging Ontario backwards."
"A curriculum written before same-sex marriage was legal, before texting, Google, and social media. It denies the existence of LGBT youth and families and the realities of our modern, diverse society. It does nothing to provide young people with the accurate, up-to-date information they need to protect themselves about cyberbullying, about sexting about healthy relationships, most of all about consent," said Sattler. "Why does the government want to take away the critical information and tools young people need to keep themselves safe?"
During the election campaign, Premier Doug Ford promised to shelve the new sex-ed curriculum.
Sattler accused him of following through on the promise as a way to appease a small circle of social conservatives.