Public Schools in Canada as Guardians of Anti-Colonialism White Privilege

"The census teams will work to actively highlight the nuances of how systems and structures of power create hierarchies that privilege some and oppress others."

"The Toronto District School Board remains committed to ensuring that all students are represented in the census, including those who previously may not have seen themselves reflected in the previous iterations of the survey."

"More information, including a new census release date will be shared once staff have the opportunity to review materials."

"Materials, including a Guiding Research Principles document, meant to provide context into how the census was developed, were posted without an internal review and approval. As a result, the TDSB is disappointed that we must pause the release of the census itself until the review process can be conducted."

"Our students must be able to voice their experiences and inform the development of school and system programs. It is regrettable that there will be delay in gathering this important information."

Toronto District School Board research guidelines

A 15-page census questionnaire to be distributed to those in grades four through six asks students their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and whether their parents were born in Canada or completed university. Photo by Jack Boland/Postmedia/File

"[Census takers have openly expressed an aim to use the data to] dismantle all forms of colonial and settler colonial violence."

"Historically, data collection and evidence have been abused, misused and exploited in ways that harmed communities [official census guidelines].

"[This time they will be explicitly using census data to] disrupt all structures of oppression [and centre] Indigeneity and Black lives [in the school system]."

"There are multiple interlocking and intersectional oppressions present in our schools, but race becomes the axis on which multiple oppressions are engaged."

"[We plan not only to use the census data to] highlight structures of oppression and pain [but will work from] joy-centred frames [to create] alternative futures rooted in community joy and excellence."

Aakriti Kapoor, Stefanie De Jesus and Amie Presley, research co-ordinators, TDSB

Little do parents whose children have long since passed through public elementary and high schools unscathed by political correctness gone the way of the new sanctimonious progressive 'woke' syndrome, realize how dysfunctionally erratic and convulsed the education system has become with its eye on shielding children from the evils of racism, inequality, homophobia and White privilege. Children have become pawns in the agenda of fundamentalist 'wokers' determined to rout out any vestiges of intolerance against gender differences, ethnicity, colour, the disadvantaged and the addicted for they will not tolerate their presence.

Anyone who disagrees that transgenderism is real and requires sympathetic support and accelerated celebration, is clearly phobic and in all likelihood racist as well. The Canada that Canadians lived all their lives believing was a modern, non-judgemental, accepting, tolerant society committed to egalitarian values and fairness in an equal society that offers opportunities for all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, heritage, political views has been an illusion. Canadians have prided themselves on their sense of social justice so it comes as a surprise to be informed that we're a racist society in the 21st century.

Canada's largest school board is now invested in dismantling oppression, equalizing the playing field for all, with the noted exception of White colonialists, courtesy of the woke -- and here naive Torontonians thought they'd already arrived at that juncture. The school board was on the cusp of launching an updated race-based student census; its goal -- to root out the "white supremacist" ad "colonialist" structure that has been the foundation of the Toronto school system. November was to be the start point of 247,000 students scheduled to complete a questionnaire.

Questions relating to race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, the educational status of parents and their mental health were all included on the questionnaire. The TDSB released a statement, however informing that the survey would be delayed, giving the board an opportunity to review the guidelines posted online, then subsequently removed. "Identity-based" data has been collected by the TDSB previously through student censuses; the information used to identify select racial and ethnic groups having difficulty with curriculum.

For the first time, however, the census-takers themselves have expressed openly their intention to use collected data to "dismantle all forms of colonial and settler colonial violence". They produced a 40-page package the three census-takers drafted. Aakriti Kapoor, Stefanie De Jesus and Amie Presley are full-time research coordinators employed by the Toronto District School Board. "Research will work to create decolonial futures to reverse the harms created by ongoing realities of colonialism and systemic racism", they wrote.

Their explanatory note identified them as active adherents of "critical race theory", the belief that racism is an "ingrained aspect of society", that can be countered only by race-centric policy explicitly favouring "historically marginalized voices". The traditional Canadian belief in "colour-blind" and "multiculturalism" as a society-in-government policy they identified as a symbol of white supremacy. Racism, their glossary pointed out, is not "simple prejudice" and as such exists only when one group has "power"over another; racism, ipso facto -- against "privileged" groups is not possible.

Their document substitutes "Canada" and "Toronto" for the term "Land the Board is situated upon". Available publicly on the TDSB website originally, the link to the guidelines now declares the document not to be compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act.  Previous such censusus were comprised of optional questionnaires meant to be completed at home. Any student in Grade Four or above for this census was to be handed optional class assignment materials. To be distributed to students in Grades Four through Six, a 15-page document queries students on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and whether their parents were born in Canada, or had completed university.

Standard questions were complete with those asking whether students "like" school or "feel accepted" by classmates. Questions whether teachers are using their preferred pronouns included a checklist of places where students feel "Unsafe", such as "prayer spaces", "single gender washrooms", "all-gender washrooms" and "school events", were also included in the checklist. 

Clearly, not all parents are besotted with this search for information. Toronto lawyer Ian Cooper last week sent a letter to the board expressing "grave concerns" of parents with respect to the new census, commenting that the process could be in violation of a host of provincial laws, including the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act.

"For many Canadians who have experienced persecution based on their personal characteristics and immigrated to Canada to escape that persecution -- the fact that their government is collecting a vast database that includes every child's race, gender, sexual orientation, mental health data, and other personal information is troubling."

Toronto lawyer Ian Cooper