Dated: March 02,2023

On February 8, 2023 a motion to add “caste oppression” to the non-discrimination policy was approved by the Governance and Policy Committee of the Toronto District School Boad. This motion is on the agenda for the board meeting on March 8, 2023 

We stand in solidarity against any form of ‘caste oppression’.

However, we oppose this motion and its implementation plan for these reasons.

1.    TDSB reports it has never received a complaint about ‘caste oppression’.

2.    There is little evidence or reports of ‘caste oppression’ in Toronto and for that matter Canada.

3.    Hence the declaration that “there is rise in documented anti-caste discrimination in the diaspora, including in Toronto” makes the motion misleading, prejudiced, and lacking in integrity. 

4.    The idea of caste census with students is deeply divisive. This motion encourages division by forcing caste awareness among staff and students, an issue which is currently non-existent, thus causing unnecessary anxiety, aggravation and confusion. 

5.    This motion singles out and targets South Asians on the basis of country of origin and ethnicity which contradicts the Human Rights principle of its category of being neutral and non-discriminatory. 

6.    A consultation process, with South Asian parents (Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jains and Christians), including those already engaged with TDSB committees would have been a vital step in the decision-making process on a topic that impacts our present and future generations, seems to have been skipped. Instead, the motion has been driven by external activists, yet again making the proposal prejudiced.

7.    This motion will not provide ‘due process’ which means there is no just way to label, assess or mediate ‘caste hierarchies’ because caste is a vast unknown for board staff. In fact, caste is a very complex idea on which there are diverse views and understandings within the South Asian community itself. 

8.    Moreover, the existing policy under categories of ‘place of origin, ethnic origin, ancestry and creed’ adequately cover caste discrimination if it were to be reported.

9.    This motion will spend the Board’s scarce resources on a non-issue.

10.  This motion will perpetuate hate and prejudice against South Asians.

Below we provide a detailed explanation to our above review: 

1.This proposed motion is not in response to any complaint of discrimination the board has received or as a result of existing policy failing to provide protection. The fact that no cases have been reported to TDSB should be reason enough for trustees to not support this motion.

2.We are struggling to understand why the committee passed this motion even though they were informed by Trustees proposing this motion that there is no evidence of widespread caste discrimination in Toronto or Canada. 

3.We wish to point out that the motion falsely claims that “there is a rise in documented increase in caste-based discrimination in the diaspora, including Toronto”. The Trustees were unable to provide evidence from academia or media for this claim. In fact, when questioned by Trustee Pei and Trustee Hassan, Trustee Rajakulasingh admitted that the board has never received a single complaint of caste-based discrimination and that she had “no idea” about its extent.

4.Discrimination and bullying on the basis of national and ethnic origin are already a serious challenge for our youth. Mental health issues are on an all-time high. And instead of addressing these existing challenges, TDSB is on the cusp of creating more. 

According to PREVNet Canada: 

·         There are long term consequences associated with racial discrimination, such as stress and anxiety, exclusion from groups and low motivation in adulthood.

·         44% of elementary school students and 33% of high school students who report being victimized because of their ethnicity also report bullying others for the same reason.

·         Asian youth are more likely to be victimized than youth who identify with other ethnic groups

·         Youth who were born in their home country, but whose parents were born outside of the country report the highest rate of ethnic victimization, but not general victimization.

5. We wish to point out that the addition of “caste” to anti-discrimination policy cannot be accomplished without violating the very policy the proposal seeks to amend. This is because the motion unfairly singles out and targets for disparate treatment of South Asians on the basis of our national and ethnic origin. The motion is essentially stipulating that all South Asians, as a subset of the broader Canadian population, are so inherently bigoted (again, without any evidence) that TDSB needs a special policy to profile, monitor and police them on the basis of their national or ethnic origin. Would that not be, by its definition, discrimination and a denial of due process and equal protection? 

6. Trustee Yalini Rajakulasingh acknowledges the motion is an ‘activist-driven motion’ which is not based on any evidence of discrimination. She does not disclose experiencing ‘caste oppression’ herself or receiving complaint about it from one of her constituents. We are aware that many of the activists behind similar motions have a long history of specifically demonizing and targeting South Asian Hindus. We wholeheartedly echo Trustee Pei’s concern about the board policy being led by (external) “activists” and the fact that he would like to hear from a broader range of parents especially from South Asia on this matter. We request the board to look into why the South Asian community has not been consulted even though this motion has been discussed at the board since December 2021. We are incredulous that the committee passed this motion with such little information or evidence, merely on the basis of opinions of the two trustees. 

7. Further, our concern is that the motion, if passed, threatens to deny the rights to due process and equal protection and benefit under the law without discrimination. On a practical note, and with serious implications on due process, how will school officials board determine what castes individual South Asians, who come from different religions such as Islam, Sikhism and Christianity, belong to? Will there now be a special box that only South Asians are forced to mark to indicate if they identify by a caste? Will TDSB also insist that second, third and future generations of South Asian students must be familiar with the social or cultural identities of their ancestors in order for school officials to adequately monitor and police them? What will the long-term impact of this kind of singling out and misrepresenting one particular ethnic group be? We request trustees to contemplate on these horrors of implementation. We would like you to know the topic of “caste” is not so black and white. It is an intricate topic about which people have different understandings and views. 

8. Indeed, we express solidarity with anyone who faces discrimination and wholeheartedly condemn ‘caste oppression’. However, we submit that if instances of caste discrimination were to be reported, the existing Human Rights Code provisions, under the categories of ethnic origin, place of origin, ancestry and creed would sufficiently offer protection. To this end, we echo the points raised by Trustee Shelly Laskin, as to whether “caste” needs to be added as a separate category or whether it is already covered under existing provisions of the policy. That question was not fully discussed or answered. We request the board look further into how caste oppression may be addressed within existing policy as enshrined in the Ontario Human Rights Code. 

9. As taxpayers and parents, we also wonder why TDSB’s scarce resources are being expended on a non-issue? Spend it to help the Black and Indigenous students. 

10. We are deeply distressed that the motion will cement implicit bias against South Asians as a matter of policy and institutionalize false and negative stereotypes about them which will promote prejudice and hate. 

Canada is a country that values diversity, inclusion, and equality for all individuals, regardless of their background. Discrimination in any form is a grave issue and it is imperative we collectively ensure our educational institutions are free from all forms of discrimination or prejudice. This proposed motion is just that – discriminatory and prejudiced by targeting one community. An individual’s political aspirations should never come at the cost of our children, their wellbeing and their future. We oppose this motion and in doing so we seek protection under the non-discrimination laws enshrined in Canadian Human Rights codes and the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms which forbid discrimination against others on the basis of place of origin and ethnicity. We seek protection of the student’s human rights for all South Asian students who have ‘the right to a learning environment free from harassment and discrimination.”  A motion like this would be setting a flawed precedence in Canada with huge implications. 

For the above reasons, we ask TDSB Trustees to do the right thing – defeat this motion which is on the agenda for the upcoming board meeting on March 8, 2023.

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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5PE62IC37g

 

 

 

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