TORONTO — Doug Ford moved to appease social conservative voters on Tuesday, vowing to scrap and replace the Liberal government's sex-ed curriculum days after dropping one of its staunchest opponents as a candidate in the spring election.
At his campaign launch in Etobicoke, Ont., Tuesday night, Ford repeated his pledge to replace the sex-ed curriculum, getting cheers from the crowd of hundreds. "We will respect parents,'' he said. "We will scrap the current sex-ed curriculum and we will make sure that we consult with parents.''
During the rally, Ford hammered the Liberal record and fired up the crowd, predicting that with their support a PC government would put him a position to deliver on all of his promises. The sex-ed curriculum sparked controversy, particularly among social conservatives, when the Liberal government introduced it in 2015. It was the first time the curriculum had been updated since 1998 and included warnings about online bullying and sexting, but protesters zeroed in on discussions of same-sex marriage, gender identity and masturbation.
"For too long the Liberals have ignored Ontario parents,'' Ford said Tuesday. "They have introduced the sex curriculum based on ideology — a curriculum that teaches sensitive topics starting at an early age.'' Read more via HuffPost
Pro-choice and anti-abortion activists weigh in on sex ed debate
Ontario's sexual education curriculum has become an important issue leading up to the provincial election, with Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford vowing to scrap and replace the Liberal government's curriculum, which was updated in 2015.
“Sexual education applies to way more than the issue of abortion. It applies to everything. It applies to consent, it applies to happiness, it applies to the ability to know your own body and feel like you own it and control it, which is the truth.”
Although Ford hasn't said what he would replace it with if he becomes premier, he has said he would "examine the entire curriculum and consult with parents and teachers to ensure Ontario children have the essential skills, including math, needed for the jobs of the future."
CBC News spoke with activists on both sides of the abortion issue in Ottawa Thursday during the March for Life anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill to find out how they feel about Ontario's sexual education curriculum. Read more via CBC