‘Cultural Humility’ Survey for Ontario Teachers Promotes ‘Radicalism,’ Says Parent Group

A view outside York Catholic District School Board headquarters with Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in the background in Aurora, Ont., on May 29, 2023, when the board voted not to fly the pride flag. Tara MacIsaac/The Epoch Times

Teachers at a catholic elementary school in Thornhill, Ont., filled out a “Cultural Humility Self-Reflection” survey during a recent professional activity day, says a parent at the school.

The survey, or “self-reflection tool,“ outlines how teachers should adopt specific ideas related to race and culture. Those include recognizing the ”privilege“ of ”dominant cultures“ and ”systemic racism and white supremacy.” The tool urges teachers to adopt these and other ideas related to the disputed ideology of critical race theory.

Critical race theory has various definitions, but is generally described as an intellectual movement that sees institutions as systemically racist and oppressive to people of colour. The theory has Marxist roots and informs many anti-racism initiatives today.

The group Parents as First Educators (PAFE) drew attention to the cultural humility tool in a Nov. 14 post on its website. A parent at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Elementary School in Thornhill had alerted PAFE after the school’s principal accidentally sent an email to parents that was meant for teachers regarding the tool.

The tool is created by School Mental Health Ontario, an organization that works with schools across the province on mental health issues.

PAFE said the cultural humility tool promotes “radicalism” and is reminiscent of Maoist struggle sessions.

Self-Criticism, Struggle Sessions

During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, under then-Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, it was common to have people engage in self-criticism. Struggle sessions were a form of public humiliation for anyone not following the party line.

Others have also equated today’s “bias training” with Maoist self-criticism and struggle sessions.

“It’s this idea that you are continually ‘re-interrogating’ yourself and being ‘rectified’ so that you have the correct Maoist line,” David Martin Jones, author of the 2022 book “The Strategy of Maoism in the West: Rage and the Radical Left,” told The Epoch Times last year. In his book, he drew parallels between Maoist struggle sessions and modern self-criticism, such as apologies for being part of a privileged class.

The Epoch Times asked the principal of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Elementary School and the York Catholic District School Board how they respond to such criticisms of the cultural humility tool. Neither responded as of publication time.

The Tool

The introduction to the tool says it is meant for self-reflection and that the answers remain confidential. It includes 30 ideas or practices and the teacher is asked to rate themselves on how they have adopted each.

For example, one is titled “I am aware of my privilege.” The description reads: “If I am a member of a dominant culture, I understand that I am not without power and privilege, and because of that I may not be seen as ‘unbiased’ or as an ally.” The teacher is asked to respond either how frequently he or she has that understanding: never, rarely, sometimes, often, or always.

When the teachers check “never” or “rarely,” they are encouraged to come up with “cultural humility goals” and plans to better adopt those ideas.

Recognizing one’s own “privilege” is included in four of the ideas. One is about knowing one’s family history in Canada, another is under the heading “I take an active interest in social justice issues.”

The tool asks teachers to affirm their understanding of ideas that have proven polarizing in Canadian society. Such points include “I understand gender as a spectrum” and “I respect and affirm gender identity.”

At the bottom of the survey is a statement that the tool was adapted from similar tools created by the federal government, Western University, and the Greater Vancouver Island Multicultural Society.

Such tools have appeared in many Canadian institutions.

Similar Tools in Other Institutions

For instance, lawyers raised the alarm on a tool mandated by the Law Society of Alberta (LSA) starting July 4.

LSA members must answer questions about their dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles. Where they show a lack of dedication, they must come up with professional development plans to improve.

Thirty LSA members said in a letter to LSA leadership on July 17 that its “cultural competency” initiatives are similar to the “cultural indoctrination” experienced by lawyers and others under the communist regime in China.

“The LSA is now using its regulatory power to compel all lawyers to salute and pursue the same political ideology,” they said. The tool tells teachers they should reflect on their ”privilege“ if they are members of a ”dominant culture“ and to recognize ”systemic racism and white supremacy, which persist today and impact student mental health.”