The province announced it is taking steps to further educate and prevent antisemitic behaviour in elementary schools.
On Wednesday, as Ontario marks Holocaust Education Week, Education Minister Stephen Lecce share a series of reforms to the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum, which includes the introduction of mandatory Holocaust learning. Currently, lessons about the Holocaust and other acts of genocide are not taught until students take the required Grade 10 course, Canadian History Since World War I.
Lecce said the decision to implement Holocaust education earlier comes as acts of antisemitism are reportedly becoming more common within some school boards in the province.
"We are taking action to counter antisemitism and hate because those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. With antisemitism on the rise, we are introducing mandatory Holocaust education in elementary schools, expanding resources and strengthening anti-hate training for Ontario students, educators, and families," said Lecce.
According to data collected from the Ministry of Education, over 50 antisemitic symbols were found in Toronto District School Board schools during the 2021-22 academic year.
A study conducted last year by Western University and Liberation75, an organization that provides Holocaust education, showed that 42 per cent of students surveyed said they witnessed an antisemitic event at some point. It also showed that 1 in 3 students believe the acts that occurred during the Holocaust are not real, exaggerated, or unsure if they happened.
The province said it will begin to work with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), to develop professional learning, known as Additional Qualification, for teachers so they are equipped to educate younger students about the significance of the Holocaust. The ministry said it is also investing in community partnerships to help students understand both historical, and present-day impacts of discrimination and how to identify and address acts of hate.
Marilyn Sinclair, the founder of Liberation75, said her father, whose entire family was murdered in Auschwitz, dedicated over 20 years to speaking with Ontario students about the Holocaust. She said she's thrilled that elementary school students will receive education about these events.
"Hate begins in the younger grades, and this outstanding initiative allows us to teach students what it means to be good citizens. In a time when we are losing Holocaust survivor witnesses, 'never again' won’t just be an empty phrase, it will be a requirement," Sinclair said.
According to Statistics Canada, Jewish Canadians are the most targeted religious minority for hate crimes in the country. Data collected by the agency also showed that in 2021, police-reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish religion were up 47 per cent.
The revised curriculum will take effect in September 2023.