Sex-ed is on the minds of parents across the province, says Ontario PC leadership hopeful Doug Ford who is promising to take another look at the updated curriculum.

Ford and fellow leadership contender Christine Elliott are now both on record saying parents need to be consulted on the sex-ed lessons. Caroline Mulroney would not support “undoing any of the changes that have already been made,” but her spokesperson says that in the future, parents will have a say in curriculum updates.

At a press conference on Monday, Ford said he wants to review all areas of the curriculum — in particular math — to boost student achievement.

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“Ontario needs to be a leader in the quality of education we give our children,” he said. “This means that we need to arm our teachers with comprehensive and intuitive curricular documents. The way that the sex-ed curriculum was rolled out was totally unacceptable. Consultations with parents were insufficient.”

Parents “are our first educators when it comes to our children,” he said, echoing social conservatives who fought the Liberal government on the changes before they were finally implemented in the fall of 2015. “Travelling around the province, that is the number one issue with parents right now.”

Education Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris noted that Ontario students consistently earn top marks in international tests, and said that “in fact, Ontario’s students now consistently rank with the highest in national and international student achievement results and more students are graduating from high school today than ever before.”

She also warned about going back on sex-ed changes, saying in a statement that “in the age of social media, we have a responsibility to make sure students have the information they need to keep them safe. Through the updated curriculum, students learn consent, healthy relationships and how to stand up for themselves.”

Naidoo-Harris said there was “extensive consultation” with parents, experts and educators, and “at a time where more and more students are active online, we cannot afford to turn back the clock when it comes to student safety and well-being.”

The issue of parental consultation became a central focus of those opposed to the sex-ed curriculum, a revamp of 15-year-old lessons that covers issues such as same-sex relationships, gender identity and cyberbullying.

Ford also took a swipe at his party saying that under former leader Patrick Brown, even PC members were shut out of discussion.

He said if elected leader, “I will take this issue to the party, to parents, and to the voters. I will remain firm on this issue.”

In 2016, Brown acknowledged it was a mistake to hold talks with the social conservatives before the Scarborough-Rouge River byelection, during which a letter was sent out vowing to “scrap” the updated lessons. He later published a piece in the Star, saying he supported the changes.

Mulroney spokesperson Alexandra Day said that “as Caroline is a mom with four kids in elementary school, she believes that parents absolutely have to have a strong voice in how their children are educated. That was one of the things that was so infuriating for parents when (Premier) Kathleen Wynne changed the curriculum — they weren’t adequately consulted.

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“Any changes to the curriculum made while Caroline is premier will absolutely involve real consultation with parents, not just bureaucrats. However, there won’t be undoing any of the changes that have already been made.”

A spokesperson for Elliott said that she “has been clear that parents must have a voice in their children’s education, including in the age appropriateness of sex-ed.”

Ford, Elliott and Mulroney are all seeking the PC leadership, after Brown stepped down amid accusations of sexual impropriety. Brown has since publicly stated that the allegations are false. He faces no charges.

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