2. REFERENCES AND DEFINITIONS

3. POLICY

In order to promote and sustain its objective with regard to Race Relations and Intercultural Understanding the Board shall endeavour to implement and/or communicate the following:

Advisory Committee on Race Relations

Similar in composition and structure to the Special Education Advisory Committee , this committee would advise, consult and develop general implementation strategies, for the Board, on issues dealing with racial harmony.

Mechanisms/Procedures to deal with Expressions of Racial, Ethnic, Religious or Sexual Prejudice

These mechanisms shall be included in a course of action whereby students, parents or employees may seek redress through a teacher, principal, senior administration, commissioner and finally the board. Existing procedures to deal with cases of overt bigotry are outlined in Section II of the Safe Schools Policy of the Western Québec School Board.

A Recruiting Policy that Recognizes the need for Aboriginal, Visible and Cultural Minority Role Models

Consistent with Law 143, the Board shall make every effort to recruit staff at all levels from the Aboriginal, visible and Cultural Minority Communities.

Consultant Positions to deal with Race Relations, Cross Cultural Communication and Human Rights (RCH) issues

Every school, in conjunction with its governing board, is encouraged to establish volunteer positions or roles to address RCH issues. Further, the Advisory Committee on Race Relations shall continually explore community options (e.g. DIAND, CLSC, MEQ, CIC, HRDC etc.) for funded or unfunded positions in schools to address local needs.

Curriculum Development

The Board shall seek additional funds to staff curriculum projects that reflect the diversity of its student populations.

Professional Development

The Board will seek means to offer cross-cultural and race relations information and training to all teachers, staff, administrators.

Student Diagnostic Assessment and Testing Practices

The Board, within the limits of its jurisdiction, shall recognize racial and cultural diversity in the implementation of its policies on student diagnostic assessment and individual testing.

Extra-curricular Academic and Cultural Enrichment

The Board will collaborate with after-school or weekend community initiatives to provide academic and cultural enrichment programmes.

ANNEX A References

1. Law 143 (Québec) – An Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies and amending the Charter of human rights and freedoms states in explanatory notes:

“ This bill establishes a special framework so that women, aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities and persons whose mother tongue is neither French nor English and who are neither aboriginal peoples nor members of a visible minority may have equal access to employment in public bodies, municipal bodies, educational bodies and institutions and health and social services bodies and institutions having 100 or more employees.

To that end, each public body must conduct an analysis of its workforce. If a target group is found to be underrepresented, the public body will be required to establish an equal access employment program to rectify the situation.

The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse will see to the carrying of the new provisions, and will oversee the development of equal access employment programs. If there is a disagreement or if a public body fails to send its workforce analysis report to the Commission or to comply with a recommendation of the Commission, the Human Rights Tribunal will be competent to decide the matter or issue the appropriate order.

The bill contains a number of amending and transitional provisions, including amendments to the Charter of human rights and freedoms to assign the necessary powers and functions to the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse and to the Human Rights Tribunal”.

2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted in 1948) states in Article 2:

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non self-governing or under other limitation of sovereignty.”

3. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (adopted November 20, 1989) states in Article 2:

1. “State Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within its jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, respective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.”

2. “State Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or family members.”

3. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (proclaimed April 17, 1982) states in Article 1:

“Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability. (2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disabilily.”

4. The Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (1975) states in Article 10:

“Every person has a right to full and equal recognition and exercise of his human rights and freedoms, without distintion, exclusioon or preference, based on race, colour, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age except as provided by law, religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origins, social condition, a handicap or the use of any means to palliate a handicap. Discrimination exists where such a distinction, exclusion or preference has the effect of nullifying or impairing such a rights.”

5. The Safe Schools Policy (adopted by the Western Québec School Board on March 27, 1996).

In the WESTERN QUÉBEC SCHOOL BOARD’S SAFE SCHOOLS POLICY the following statements pertain specifically to anti-racism and anti-bias:

a) The Board sees at its role the safe-guarding of the learner and teachers on its premises or at school sponsored events and does not tolerate:

b) Under I. Unacceptable Behaviours the board defines the following:

a) Intimidation – to frighten, force, discourage or inhibit by the use of verbal or non-verbal actions in order to influence conduct;

b) Harassment – systematic or persistent verbal or physical action such as taunts, insults, annoyances, demands, etc., designed to inflict distress;

c) Threats – verbal promise or overt action forewarning trouble, worry or harm;

d) Assault – physical, sexual – an unlawful personal attack (including menacing words or gestures), an attempt to cause injury, unwelcome physical interference with another person;

e) Vandalism – the deliberate damage or defacement of school grounds, buildings, equipment, books or personal property;

f) Theft – taking possessions or goods belonging to another person without that person’s consent;

g) Possession of Weapons/Replicas

h) Trespassing – any individual on school premises without authorization;

i) Extortion – intimidating or threatening behaviour intended to extract money, services or property;

j) Overt Bigotry – written or verbal comments which insult others because of their gender, racial origin, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.

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