Cheering for a Politician??

It is difficult these days to find something positive to say about a politician and especially difficult to find any redeeming qualities in a ruling political party. It is almost as if politicians, when they get elected, either immediately get infected with foot-in-mouth disease or else get inoculated with some vaccine that makes them both more arrogant and more stupid. I am sure that 90% o people who get elected for the first time have good intentions of doing what is best for their constituents.  Somewhere in between their homes and their new office in the legislative  many newly minted politicians seem to forget that they need to listen to what everyone is saying - not just those with the loudest voices or the deepest pockets. Sometimes that means doing things that will make them unpopular.

The Liberal government has been floundering as of late. Not only have they not dealt with the gas plant closure scandal that they inherited, but there is no indication that they have a plan of how to deal with the Ontario deficit. While there is no sense that the province or the government is actually bouncing from crisis to crisis, there is that subtle perception that the captain of the ship is still not too sure how to use a compass or any other device to help her find her way.  If they have avoided staying out of the public spotlight it is only because they are avoiding saying anything at all. They have also been lucky because the Conservatives are in the midst of a leadership campaign and perhaps are not as focused as they might normally be.  However twice in the last week or so Kathleen Wynne has announced policies that have been courageous and needed.

The new sex education curriculum is finally out - probably about ten years too late, but it is out. It is a courageous and bold document in that it certainly goes where others, including I suspect parents, have frequently been afraid to go.  It appears to be a solid plan that starts in the primary grades and goes on through to high school. As opposed to some curriculum changes that are lacking a clear vision of why the change is needed - Wynne appears to realize that children need to understand not just the stuff about plumbing but also need to start to have an ongoing conversation about relationships. It is long overdue. I can appreciate that kids want and need to learn different things at different times from some of their peers. We all know that children mature at different rates. That is always going to be a problem. One can only hope that teachers and parents are sensitive to this issue. I understand that some of the topics are uncomfortable for some parents. Some parents think they will do a better job than a teacher, or at least will be more effective of inflicting their values upon their children. But unless their children are going to live in a bubble for all of their lives - let them participate in the school and then please have more conversations with them at home.

My only concern about this new process is that I hope there are sufficient funds for teachers to get some training and support before the new sex education curriculum is in the schools.

The second thing that the Wynne government did was to announce a comprehensive strategy to deal with sexual violence and harassment in our society. Not only will there be new legislation that, amongst other things, will make it the law that employers deal with sexual harassment in the workplace in a timely fashion but also the public will be exposed to a series of public awareness commercials etc that will re-enforce the concept that we all are responsible for stopping harassment and abuse in our society.

Some of the ads may make some people uncomfortable. Good - they are suppose to. It is well past time for all to be actively engaged in stopping behaviours that as Ms. Wynne says "are learned behaviours, which means that they can be unlearned — or better yet — never learned in the first place."(Canadian Press)

It is not often that I can cheer for a politician - but today is a good day for people in Ontario.