A word of warning to politicians who say they want to consult with voters on a touchy subject: you may not like what you hear!
Such is the case with the Ford government’s clumsy handling of Ontario’s sex ed curriculum this year.
After Ford scrapped the sex ed program, he replaced it with an outdated and insufficient alternative; in Ford’s sanitized curriculum, there is little to no mention of relevant topics such as online bullying and sexting and gender identity.
READ MORE: Sex-ed curriculum consult website skewed by ‘certain groups,’ Doug Ford says
To quell the protests to his policy, the government set up an online consultation page, called “For The Parents,” where citizens could offer their input.
The Canadian Press, through a freedom of information request, was able to access data from the survey.
Of the roughly 1,600 submissions, about two dozen supported Ford’s move, but the rest of the more than 1,500 were critical of Ford’s myopic approach to sex ed and demanded a return to the curriculum that he had dumped.
Ford dismissed the results, suggesting that the results were “skewed by certain groups,” although he didn’t clarify whom he was accusing.
WATCH BELOW: Students across Ontario walk out in protest of Ford government’s repeal of 2015 sex-ed curriculum
Maybe we can help the premier on that; they were parents, teachers, student groups and medical professionals who see the value of enlightened education for our children.
The premier just got an unwelcome dose of public opinion on the sex ed issue.
But politicians who seek public input and then ignore it, do so at their own peril.
Bill Kelly is the host of the Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.