To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,
Whereas the 2015 Health and Education Curriculum empowers young people to make informed decisions about relationships and their bodies, and;
Whereas gender-based violence, gender inequality, unintended pregnancies, “sexting”, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose serious risks to the safety and well-being of young people, and;
Whereas one in three women and one in six men experience sexual violence in Canada, and a lack of age-appropriate education about sexual health and healthy relationships leaves them vulnerable to sexual exploitation, and;
Whereas a 2018 Ipsos poll found that one-third of Canadian parents know a child in their community who has been cyber-bullied and 20% of parents reported their own child being a victim of cyber-bullying, and;
Whereas the 1998 Progressive Conservative curriculum does not teach students about consent, social media and online safety, stereotypes, sexual orientation, LGBTQ+ families, or gender identity;
Therefore we the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the Ministry of Education to continue the use of the Ontario 2015 Health and Physical Education curriculum in Ontario schools.