Why

On Remembrance Day 2016 a "social justice" publication from the BCTF started making the rounds on Facebook. I am a teacher and a military spouse. I found the language used to be extremely insulting to our armed forces and the intelligence of teachers in this province. Although the publication is directed at teachers and about the military I hope that BC residents will sign it whether or not they belong to either of those groups. Let’s not have publications like these that pit two different contributions to our country against each other as we are working together to make the world a better place. By signing this petition you are adding your voice in asking the BCTF to retract this publication and recognise that it serves only to divide and alienate rather than educate.

What

The publication lists questions to direct students away from a career in the military and suggests reporting recruiters at the school - as though the Canadian Armed Forces has recruiting personnel hanging out on school grounds waiting to collar unsuspecting students rather than setting up any recruiting they do with the school ahead of time. The language of the publication sets teachers up in direct opposition to the armed forces as though it were a menacing force determined to do ill. It is intellectually lazy to assume that every professional solider is uneducated and not looking for peace. It is ridiculous to think that if Canada simply doesn’t have soldiers that peace will just follow. This publication does not reflect the culture of the CAF nor does it represent the voice of teachers in this province. Teachers are military spouses, military parents, military children, and even military members. Teachers teach the children of serving CAF members and have taught currently serving and future serving CAF members. Our BCTF should respect that reality.

We need people who want to change the world for the better to get into the places where they can do the most good. For some people that will be the military.

Remember

We ask students to recognise Remembrance Day, we ask them to learn the history, we ask them to respect those who have served and who work still to try and make the world a safer place. We ask this of them not to glorify war but to recognise the cost of peace and the necessity of finding ways to live together.

The Social Justice Publication

https://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Programs/GlobalEd/Military_Recruitement_Web.pdf