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In responding to the heinous shooting in a Quebec City mosque last January, Premier Philippe Couillard made a series of comments that seemed to be coming from the heart. “Spoken words matter. Written words matter,” he said, “they can of course express an idea, but they can hurt. They can hurt very much. We should all be cognizant of that.”

This is particularly true with respect to the words we use with our young people. Such words can reproduce existing attitudes that harm, divide and exclude, or they can give young people the tools to build understanding and empathy. As a teacher, I am acutely aware of the heavy responsibility I have regarding the words I use with my students.

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Having now had a chance to thoroughly analyze the textbook for the Secondary IV History of Quebec and Canada course I teach, I find it hard to reconcile with the premier’s comments last January. This textbook, Reflections, which arrived in schools in its entirety this November, does not seem likely to build understanding and empathy, but rather, to reinforce intolerant and divisive views.