MPPs question why banning Pride flags are a priority for Catholic board

Some local MPPs are voicing issues about the Waterloo Catholic District School Board’s (WCDSB) priorities after getting many calls from concerned parents and taxpayers over the weekend.

A possible ban on Pride, rainbow flags and other political symbols is on the agenda for a meeting Monday.

Those MPPs want to see more of a focus on student wellbeing and other issues in the education system like a lack of funding.

Aislinn Clancy, MPP of Kitchener-Centre, is going to attend the meeting to show support for students and staff that might be impacted.

“Twelve and a half per cent of the student population identify as 2SLGBTQ+, I don’t think they’ve considered the emotional impact that will have on students, let alone staff,” said Clancy.

“I believe we’ve come to this because there’s been a real, targeted effort by far-right wing media, such as we see in the United States, to erode democracy and that has led us to today.”

She added that the motion going forward contains harmful comparisons that show a lack of understanding. Black Lives Matter, confederate flags, and Make America Great Again flags are also being discussed.

Clancy mentioned she doesn’t think the trustee who brought the motion forward, Conrad Stanley, “did their homework.”

Stanley, who is not an elected trustee, lost his bid for the board in 2022. The board decided to appoint Stanley, the runner-up, to replace Sally Fuentes who resigned in September 2023.

“They’ve censored and silenced a trustee who is unable to vote tonight, who is not inline with this motion,” mentioned Clancy. “They were meant to appoint someone from Kitchener, they’ve appointed someone from Cambridge, so they’ve created a scenario where it’s not a healthy work environment and they’ve made decisions that aren’t very democratic.”

Clancy has sent a letter to the Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, to ask them to get involved with decisions being made by the WCDSB. She said these decisions are not the trustees’ to make.

The letter reads, “Certain trustees are targeting Pride materials and books oversight, a responsibility of trained librarians and educators. Those trustees (of which, many have been appointed and not elected) have targeted their peers through bullying and censorship, removing their right to vote”

Clancy won’t be the only local MPP attending the WCDSB meeting. MPP Catherine Fife will be there after getting over 25 phone calls from concerned parents and taxpayers since Friday.

“Having a debate on banning the pride flag in 2025 seems out of touch,” said Fife. She wondered how it even became a priority for them.

“Right now, in our schools in Ontario, we are facing a systemic underfunding around operational issues and around capital funding for our students. These are issues that have really dominated with Trustees across the province. And yet, for some reason, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board here is debating removing a symbol of inclusion.”

MPP Catherine Fife

Fife mentioned WCDSB was one of the first Catholic boards in the country to raise a Pride flag. WCDSB first raised the Pride flag in June 2021 for Pride Month.

She hopes there is common sense at the board table, adding students of the board plan to speak on how the ban will impact them.

“Banning an inclusive symbol like the Pride flag is, in my opinion, unnecessarily cruel and demeaning for students and families that identify as 2SLGBTQ+.”

Both Clancy and Fife wrote letters and reached out to the Chair of the board, neither received a response.

Fife said Ontario has serious issues in the education system and this is a distraction.

A petition is circulating that urges WCDSB to Retain Pride and Black Lives Matter flags in schools. It was started by an alumnus and a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.