Premier Doug Ford is bristling at charges he is beholden to “radical extremists” opposed to the modern sex-education curriculum.

Ford — who has scrapped the 239-page 2015 syllabus in favour of the 42-page 1998 version that does not mention same-sex relationships, gender or cyber safety — was on the hot seat Monday in the legislature.

“School starts in just a few weeks and all we’ve seen from this Conservative government is chaos caused by the premier’s backroom deals,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

“Radical extremists like Charles McVety and Tanya Granic Allen want to prevent kids from learning about consent, cyberbullying, gender identity and LGBTQ families,” said Horwath, referring to prominent social conservative Ford supporters.

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“They want to drag Ontario back to 1998. I get that. That’s who these people are. But this premier is fulfilling their every wish,” she said.

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Ford, who won the March 10 Tory leadership with help from social conservatives, fired back at Horwath.

“I find it ironic that the leader of the opposition is calling us radical. That’s the pot calling the kettle black. You just have to turn around and see your radicals,” the premier thundered at the NDP leader during the Legislature’s morning question period.

“The leader of the opposition truly believes in the nanny state — that they know better than the parents. We believe in consulting with the parents,” he said.

While the 1998 curriculum will temporarily be taught in schools starting in September, Ford again promised an extensive public consultation on a revamped syllabus with hearings in every constituency in Ontario, though no budget or timetable has yet been set.

“We’re going to go right across the province. We’re going to contact 124 ridings, the constituents who live in those ridings,” the premier said.

“We’re going to do a thorough, end-to-end consultation that has never taken place ever before when it comes to the sex-ed curriculum.”

It was left to Ford and to Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod to answer questions on the curriculum because Education Minister Lisa Thompson was at a conference in Ottawa.

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Thompson, under fire for her handling of the thorny file, has been unavailable to the media since a brief press scrum lasting fewer than three minutes a week ago.

There have been protests at Queen’s Park since the Tory government decided to roll back the updated syllabus.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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