It’s Time for Sexual Education to Take a Big Step Forward in Peterborough and Across Canada

5/15/2020

New Report Examines Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Values

Rosemary Ganley
The Peterborough Examiner
May 7, 2020

Toronto students walk out of class to protest sex-ed curriculum changes in Toronto September 21, 2018. NATHAN DENETTE/CANADIAN PRESS

Now for a complete change of pace.

It has to do with the health and safety of the young. Who among us doesn't care about that? To be specific, the education we are providing for their sexual health and well-being.

Under Canada's division of powers, health and education are provincial matters. But the federal government wields much power and influence.

My sex-ed was almost non-existent in school. It largely consisted of don'ts and warnings. And some biology. But that was a long time ago. Now a new report finds that sexuality education across Canada, though widely accepted as necessary in schools, is inconsistent, partial, dated, and in the case of religious schools, ideologically driven.

The quality depends on the teacher, the principal, the school board and the parents. When I asked teacher friends about their assessment of sex education in their schools, the answer was "It depends."

It depends also on the availability of local resources such as sexuality educators who can be invited in and who understand youth's evolving modern context, a dominant social-media culture for one.

Here comes a frank, lively and well-researched study, 82 pages in length, called "The State of Sex-Ed in Canada," and an additional resource for teachers and parents, called "Beyond the Basics," both produced by an Ottawa-based, nonprofit organization called Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. The group is a progressive, pro-choice, charitable organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally.

Information for the report was somewhat hard to come by. It was drafted by eight people from French, English and Indigenous resources, guided by a national youth advisory board and endorsed by many experts, including Dr. Danielle Martin of Women's College Hospital in Toronto.

The team consulted curricula from across the county and interviewed scores of young people academics and educators.

The term is "Comprehensive Sexuality Education" (CSE). It is usually placed within the framework of health. It calls for cross-Canada delivery of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to enable the young to develop respect for themselves, their bodies and others. It covers the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspect of sexuality.
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