Silent protest took place during Public Management Student Association event
Education Minister Lisa Thompson, who is a U of G public management graduate, spoke to a group of Public Management students about Ontario’s education on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The event was also open to the public and was attended by students of different political backgrounds.
“It was important to hear from Lisa Thompson because we deserve to know what is going on in our government and education system,” the University of Guelph Public Management Association told The Ontarion. “We heard from the Minister of Education’s perspective and she answered questions that provided students with more information and in this era information is key to moving forward.”
Two students staged a silent protest during the talk, holding signs opposing the PC government’s cancellation of the 2015 sex ed. curriculum and a curriculum rewrite that would have boosted Indigenous content.
“Our actions were a way to stand up for proper education that teaches gender identity and better Indigenous content in Ontario schools,” Kayla Weiler, the Central Student Association’s VP External and silent protester at the event, told The Ontarion. “This is important because when one of us is under attack, we are all under attack of more cuts from the government.”
The event follows a controversial return to the 1998 sex ed. curriculum this past summer, and occured days before the Ontario PC convention, where a resolution was passed to debate whether or not the party should recognize gender identity.
Thompson noted in the question period on Monday, Nov. 19 that the resolution is “non-binding and not government policy,” according to Global News.
After the talk, Thompson spoke to students surrounding her government’s controversial cuts to Ontario’s curriculum. Thompson is the MPP for Weiler in the riding of Huron-Bruce. After the event Weiler spoke to Thompson about the presence of sexualized violence in her area and in rural Ontario more generally.
“I told her that more work needs to be done because rural Ontario is lacking the education and resources for students [and] youth,” Weiler said. “We have to challenge sexual violence and work on mental health because the two can be heavily related.”
Weiler also wanted to note that according to Thompson the 2015 sex ed. curriculum is partially taught in schools.
The student group who hosted the event stressed the importance of dialogue and political debate’s role in the democratic process.
“We believe in the strength in diversity of perspective in political conversations. By bringing students of all different ideologies together to discuss public education we are strengthening our democracy,” the University of Guelph Public Management Association told The Ontarion.
Photos by Adam Maue