(The following article is from the June 1-15,  2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

The Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) has sharply criticized the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty for failing to implement the sex education curriculum that was to be launched in schools this fall.

     "This multi-year curriculum had been developed over a long period, involving experts in the sexual health field, in child and youth development, in education curricula, and in consultations with parents, students, teachers, and the public," notes the CPC (Ontario).

     "This provincial curricula was no surprise to anyone, let alone the Ministry of Education - it had been a long time in the planning and preparation. What is a surprise is the government's sudden decision to cancel months of work addressing a clear need for age appropriate sex education across Ontario, because of a backlash by fundamentalist religious groups and social conservatives connected to the Tory party in Ontario.

     "Clearly the government is afraid of the Tories' fundamentalist religious and social conservative base, and is prepared to kowtow to it, rather than stand up for scientific and secular education and curricula, in this pre-election period.

     "The provincial Liberals are no doubt aware of the federal government's decision not to fund abortion in foreign aid spending - a concession to that party's right-wing, religious and socially conservative base, and a concession to northward creeping ultra-right-wing, religious fundamentalism in the US that has so distorted healthcare and education curricula in the USA.

     "If the Premier is looking for a winning election issue to fight on, the defence of quality secular public education and healthcare is it. But this government wants some of those conservative votes, because on the economic front the McGuinty government is implementing a very right wing and conservative agenda hinging on corporate tax cuts and a VAT tax that will shift a further $4.5 billion off the corporations and onto working people through the HST.

     "This government is also launching a fundamental attack on free collective bargaining, with a public sector wage `freeze' that will drive down wages of more than one million public sector employees over the next five years, affecting their wages throughout their working lives.

     "Not least, the McGuinty government is about to privatize significant public assets, which it knows will generate broad and deep public opposition.

     "That's why McGuinty is pandering to the right, on the issue of sex education curricula. And that's why the public must force the government to implement the curricula and stand by secular education in Ontario's system of public education.

     "The CPC(O) calls on the labour and democratic movements, academics, teachers and educational workers, health care workers, youth and students, women, and all those who value quality, universal, secular public education and health care, as well as equality rights, to speak up and demand the government implement the curricula changes, and defend secular and scientific curricula and health care in Ontario.

     "This is yet another example of why religion and school should be separate, and why a single secular and universal public school system is in the best interests of students in Ontario."