By Doug Draper
This is a good one from Ontario’s premier – strike a toughter than ever blow against bullying!
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
The province’s premier, Dalton McGuinty, met with students in one of Ontario’s school today to send out a message that bullying and intolerance will be met with much tougher consequences than before against those doing the bullying.
McGuinty also released a video, and Niagara At Large is providing a link to this video below, that reinforces his government’s intention to crack down on bullies.
Most of this new bullying legislation, introduced by McGuinty’s Liberal government this November 30, focuses on bullies at elementary and secondary schools, including those who harass young people who are perceived to be or are gay. Those found guilty of harassing others at their school to a point that makes their lives hell may now be subject to expulsion from school under this legislation, and that is good.
What about the adult bullies, though, who are harassing people in the workplace. Perhaps the government should introduce tougher legislation to go after them since there are so many reports of that kind of bullying happening.
Here is Premier Dalton McGuinty’s November 30 media release on this subject. Read it and view the video of the premier discussing this legislation, and then share your views below.
Ontario Premier’s Media Release.
Giving Bullied Students Hope
McGuinty Government Joins The “It Gets Better” Project
Today, Premier Dalton McGuinty delivered a simple message to Ontario students who are bullied or feel alone: it gets better, and we can make it better, together.
The Premier met students at L’Amoreaux Collegiate Institute in Toronto, where he also released his “It Gets Better” video, which encourages students, teachers, parents and community members to do their part to help end bullying and intolerance.
New legislation, to be introduced today would, if passed, help make Ontario schools safer and more accepting places to learn by proposing:
Tougher consequences for bullying and hate-motivated actions — up to, and including, expulsion.
- Requiring all schools to support any students who want to lead activities that promote understanding, acceptance and respect for all.
- Requiring school boards to develop policies and guidelines that include greater supports for students.
QUOTES
“For our kids to learn and reach their full potential they need to feel safe, secure and free to be who they are in our schools. Too many of our kids are being bullied and we all need to do more than just tell them it gets better — we need to work together to make it better now.”
— Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
“We have taught our children three fundamental “Rs” in school — Reading, Writing and Arithmetic — but now we need to also focus on the fourth “R” – Relationships.”
— Laurel Broten, Minister of Education
QUICK FACTS
- Ontario was the first province in Canada to legally require school staff to report serious student incidents to principals.
- Bullying is a form of repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour intended to cause fear, distress, or harm to another person’s body, feelings, self-esteem or reputation.
- A 2011 national survey found that 64 per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) students and 61 per cent of students with LGBTQ parents feel unsafe at school.
LEARN MORE
Watch Premier McGuinty’s It Gets Better video. Click on the following to watch the video – http://Ontario Government Introduces Legislation Against Bullying
Niagara At Large 
I believe that the school system needs to switch its focus from anti-bullying to pro-kindness. My boys used to point out kids in the grocery store and based soley on their appearance (white boy, big for his age, baseball cap on askew) if they were a bully. It was the bully version of Where’s Waldo. All the anti-bullying talk in the schools and my kids had no idea what a bully was. Pro-kindness extends past an individual or individuals. It’s not gender, age, class or species specific. It makes more sense to me and it sounds nicer.
That said, when my oldest child was in grade 3 we made the decision to pull out of public school and homeschool our two boys. It wasn’t the other kids we had issue with, it was the teachers and administration. I hope this new legislation applies to them as well.
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My, how happy we seem to be that McGuinty is going to stop bullying in Ontario’s schools.
I don’t know about others, but I’m concerned that McGuinty’s simplistic approaches may miss the real opportunities here. Bullying is a serious problem (but not just in our schools, on our streets, and in many homes as well—even in the workplace, and gosh, even in government). Why, even some teachers bully kids and some students bully teachers. Parents sometimes get in on bullying, too. Some do it at school, some online, some on the streets.
Bullying is a mental health issue for most bullies and legalistic approaches don’t get to the heart of their problem. What school programs–to help bullies become constructive human beings for example–is McGuinty’s government going to fund and support over and above their current education budgeting? How will they help the families of bullies get their acts together? What support will he provide for the bullied to get their heads on right? I hope not just let them struggle along as he has been letting them. Just look at how many kids are on the streets of Ontario, many homeless.
What initiatives by individuals with ideas for stopping or reducing bullying will his government fund and support? What services will his government provide specifically to kids that bully due to their own problems at home or at school?
Rhetoric is fine. It may even make us all feel really good, all over, for awhile. There is much real work that needs to be done, however! Will his government really be there with the money and resources to make schools truly safe for all students–even for the bullies who often can be changed for the better and helped to become useful citizens. There are programs out there that have proven effective at reducing bullying and increasing sensitivity of students and teachers to the real life issues all face from time to time. Will he use them, test them, fund them, and support those who develop (or try to develop) them?
Words will not do it. Expensive government videos will not do it. Intentions, promises, and assurances–even if sincere–will not do it. Real action, real support, real initiatives, and real, well-placed, well-monitored, financial support might!
Bullying is too complex a problem to whisk away with Queens’ Park talk-speak! We’ve seen too much of that in education these past 50 years, from all parties. Certainly teachers don’t need more programs to monitor and add to an already overloaded curriculum.
I would not be surprised if the youth in our province, themselves, have some excellent ideas on how to tackle the issues around bullying. Will they be involved on committees addressing the issues? Will McGuinty support guys like Jim Jordan who are out and about drawing attention to bullying and helping kids get their help dealing with bullies?
Certainly, some major improvements in support for families under stress, people dealing with mental health issues that result in the bullying of others, and an education system where mental health is given some real attention would be assets! Will his government provide and fund them in addition to what they are spending on schools now?
Is the McGuinty government up to it all? If we judge by how they are dealing with the mentally ill in our province at present, they clearly are not! I fear we will still be talking about what to do about bullying in our schools 50 more years from now! Ah, but then, I may be growing cynical. Do you think, eh?
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Does this mean that McGuinty will have to stop bullying the people of Niagara — Oh Yea !! Right !!!
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About time too, Mr. McGuinty. Our daughter works at Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, the school that received not only the Lady Gaga video last week, but one from Rick Mercer and others….. unknown to me. Our daughter-teacher said Mercer’s was amazingly good, and I guess that the Premier is only responding to the world-wide video that Lady Gaga sent to ESA.
Be that as it may, this is all to the good. Let’s hope. Fingers crossed that we can become a more tolerant society…..
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