Montreal-area school board releases report into discrimination after video of teenagers in blackface
A 143-page report into policies at a school board in the Montreal area has found that many students feel discriminated against based on their religion, sexual orientation and race.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board commissioned the report after two girls at John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire were caught on video in blackface using vulgar, racist language last year.
The board said the video made them realize the need to improve the learning and social; experiences of its diverse student population.
Among the key strategies are teaching tolerance of different religions, teaching more about holidays celebrated by religious groups that aren't just Judeo-Christian, and having speakers that come from different cultural communities.
"I think it's important, not just in schools, but in all corporations, in all organizations," said task force chair Dr. Myrna Lashley. "We have to do some self-examination, we've got to stop gazing at our navels and assuming that everything is fine the way it is. We know it's not."
The report also highlights that there are inconsistencies in the gender language in LBPSB bylaws.
"It is not only important for youth to feel included, respected and cared for by being referred to by their chosen name and correct pronouns, it is important for youth to see gender-inclusive language used within their environments," the report reads.
The report recommends, as a result, updating documents and advising teachers that the should use gender-neutral language in classrooms.
Later, the report recommends gender-neutral washrooms and updating pictograms on the facilities.
"We have a collective obligation to continue educating our students about the dangers of letting injustice as well as racist and discriminatory attitudes of any kind to prevail and go unchecked," said LBPSB chair Noel Burke.
The board said it wants all its schools to study the report and put in place an action plan by late fall.
The mother of the boy who was the target of the racist video filed a human rights complaint against the people who made the video and aksed that blackface be declaired a hateful symbol.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.