Anti-bullying bill passes at Queen’s Park

An anti-bullying bill that has drawn the ire of religious groups has passed at Queen’s Park.

The vote was 65-36 in favour of Bill 13. The Liberals and NDP voted in favour of it, while the Conservatives voted against it.

The Liberal bill will allow – but not force – all students, including those in the Catholic board, to use the term gay-straight alliance or GSAs.

The Accepting Schools Act requires school boards to support student groups for “people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”

Despite objections from Catholic school trustees and some religious groups, the bill specifically makes reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirited, intersexed, queer and questioning people.

“Catholic partners will seek, as we have always done, in a way that is in accord with our faith, to foster safe and welcoming school communities,” Thomas Cardinal Collins said in a release on behalf of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario. “Bullying, in any form, is unacceptable. At the core of our Catholic Christian beliefs is the command to welcome every person with love and respect.”

When the legislation was introduced, the Liberals said Catholic schools must allow anti-homophobia clubs but gave principals the power to veto the name “gay-straight alliances.”

At the time, critics, including the head of Concerned Catholic Parents of Ontario (CCPO), said the bill stripped away freedom of religion.

Last month, Education Minister Laurel Broten went a step further, saying all Ontario students must be allowed to use the term GSA. She said she changed her mind after hearing from students who don’t want her, principals or trustees dictating the names of their clubs.

Catholic educators and church leaders protested the decision, calling it “totalitarian” and “liberty-destroying.”

“This is a reminder to the legislators in the pink palace down the street that we will not allow the rights of responsible, traditional, principled Ontarians to be taken away,” Family Coalition Party leader Phil Lees said last month.

“Right now children from traditional backgrounds are being intimidated by Bill 13 type policies.”

The Conservatives, who oppose the amendment, say it has triggered a debate over the funding of Catholic schools that has overshadowed the bullying issue.

But Broten insists the government has no intention of re-opening the funding debate.

With files from The Canadian Press

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