OP-ED: Ontario teachers union pushes anti-Israel, pro-DEI agenda

Sue-Ann Levy writes, "Teachers need to teach their students to read and write, not how to transition to another sex or how to pick pronouns or to indoctrinate them against the Jewish state."

Source: Rawpixel

Author: Sue-Ann Levy

At their annual general meeting on Monday, some 700 brass with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario will endeavour to give a giant finger to education minister Paul Calandra.

Grossly upset that Calandra has taken over four Ontario school boards, wants to put cops back in schools and has directed more than once that there should be no politics (geopolitics) in board classrooms, ETFO members have put two motions on their agenda, both of which run grossly counter to what the province is trying to achieve.

The first comes from the Elementary Teachers of Toronto local, overseen by anti-Semite Nigel Bariffe and self-loathing Jew Helen Victoros.

It calls on ETFO to create a resource for all teachers that addresses anti-Palestinian racism (a non-existent bogeyman), affirms Palestinian identity and teaches Palestinian history (no doubt from a highly anti-Israel standpoint).

The motion says it’s critical to create “safe spaces” for Palestinian students.

This is beyond ludicrous.

For one thing, there is no such country as Palestine and if any group needs a safe space in the board, it’s Jewish students and teachers.

A recent report from retired special envoy for combatting anti-Semitism, Deborah Lyons, showed that the TDSB was the focus of nearly 40% of all anti-Semitic incidents in Ontario studied for 16 months from 10/7 to January 2025.

The second motion asks ETFO to create a “Know Your Rights” tool kit for teachers who insist on teaching social justice and equity in the classroom.

The motion claims there is an “attack” on DEI programs in the U.S. and it’s coming to Canada.

”We need a tool so members can do their work without fear of reprisal,” the motion states.

”Doing this work is important work within our schools and classrooms — affirming identities and lived realities and histories.”

For heaven’s sake, these people are absurd.

Teachers need to teach their students to read and write, not how to transition to another sex at age 12 or how to pick pronouns or to indoctrinate them against the Jewish state.

DEI has been a curse at the TDSB and other Ontario school boards, rewarding mediocrity, giving employment to race grifters and eliminating consequences for violent and other illegal acts in our schools.

But clearly this is an attempt to poke Calandra in the eye for actually trying to do something about the out-of-control school boards and the power-mad unions.

”This isn’t just activism—it’s a declaration of control,” says a statement from the Jewish Educators and Family Association (JEFA).

“The union is openly saying it will politicize classrooms as it sees fit—and children are the battleground.”

These motions are really no surprise given that ETFO issued a statement back in May saying they oppose any provincial takeover of school boards and the return of what was the highly successful cops in schools program.

They called the moves a “deliberate effort to Americanize Ontario’s public education system—repeating essentially the same script they’ve used for years.

”This is no education reform, it’s authoritarianism…designed to deflect blame, suppress dissenting voices and tighten political control over … a system this government has failed to adequately fund,” the statement says.

Ah yes, it’s always about more money.

Their words are grossly ironic considering Ontario’s woke teachers union have held students and their parents captive for years, essentially fighting every single initiative that seeks to improve academics and ensure students graduate able to read and write.

Whether it was standardized testing or more focus on math skills, this union has shown that it cares far more about social justice than academics.

ETFO, in particular, has pretty consistently turned their backs on the teachers they are supposed to represent, in particular Jewish teachers.

Ontario’s teachers union are now a cesspool of Jew hatred and heaven help any Jewish teacher who thinks their union will help them.

The fact that they’re also upset about the placement of four school boards under provincial supervision is no surprise, considering that the unions have consistently worked overtime to put their preferred candidates in office.

It will be interesting to see if both motions pass at next week’s meeting.

If they do, it will once again show that ETFO is only concerned about its own interests — as the unions have been since the era of Premier Mike Harris.

Meanwhile, it looks like a pro-terrorist protest(s) is(are) being planned at the ETFO conference if we are to believe this letter from Shiam Ibrahim, chair of Halton Elementary Educators and a union steward:

Dear colleagues, friends, and allies,

As we prepare for the ETFO Annual Meeting this August, I recently put out a call asking for support to raise the urgent issue of Gaza and to stand united against anti-Palestinian racism in our classrooms and communities.

My letter included the following:

“Unfortunately, we found that for the first time, the Jewish [members] organized their own….

This has been deliberately misinterpreted by individuals and groups who do not share our values of justice, peace, and unity. I want to be crystal clear:

Our goal is and has always been to build bridges — not walls — between all members, regardless of faith or background.

We invite our Jewish brothers and sisters to join us in a SINGLE campaign to be more effective in our efforts to highlight what’s happening in Gaza. We don’t need to organize separately. I hope this is now clear.

Let’s speak with a united voice, Jews and non-Jews against the genocide in Gaza. In unity there is strength. Let’s organize together.

The workers united will never be defeated!