This bill is misleading. It exaggerates the problem of violence in schools. None of us can deny that violence exists in schools, but an MPP who opposed the bill explained during a debate that he had served as a school board trustee for 17 years in a district with approximately 21 000 students. The board had expelled one student during his time with them. Bill 81 is unfairly stigmatizing young people.

This bill is largely unecessary. It demands that schools have a code of conduct. Schools have had codes of behaviour for students for years. This is another symbolic gesture to make the government look like they are doing something about the exaggerated problem of student violence.

Its zero-tolerance approach will lead to problems. The bill calls for mandatory suspensions for certain behaviours, i.e. swearing at a teacher. Of course schools have a right to demand a certain standard of conduct from students and if students are behaving badly, something has to be done. But mandatory suspensions? Students misbehave for many reasons. It is possible that such a student has an undiagnosed learning disability, is abused at home, or in some cases has a legitimate reason to be upset with a teacher or an administrator. By instituting these strict zero-tolerance policies, the government shows that it has no interest in solving student's problems. They prefer to kick the students out of school and let someone else deal with them. This is shameful and irresponsible.

This bill also revealed hypocrisy on the part of the government. During a legislative debate on it, a Tory MPP interrupted someone's speech by saying, "Don't hand me that s---." He could have been thrown out of the legislature for that, but he was not because he withdrew the comment. This led an Opposition MPP to comment that students who swear cannot tell the teacher that they withdraw.

It turns teachers into police. Teachers now have the power to suspend students for one day. A concern raised about this is the fact that the next day, a student who has been suspended will be back in the classroom with the teacher who suspended them. This will put unnecessary strain on the relationship between students and teachers. It also makes teachers look like disciplinarian figures rather than educators. Their job is to teach, not to punish and giving them this new power puts additional stress in people who are already having many difficulties due to the actions of this government.

Many of the changes Bill 81 contains are either overly simplistic or dangerous. It requires students to sing "O Canada." Two Opposition MPPs made some good comments about that. Ernie Parsons said, "We don't mandate and legislate respect for our country, we model it." Peter Kormos said, "No matter how many times kids sing O Canada it isn't going to change what this government has done to public education in this province. It isn't going to restore the junior kindergartens. It isn't going to put the special ed teachers back into those classrooms. It isn't going to put the guidance counsellors back. It isn't going to open the locked library doors. It isn't going to put books on the bookshelves. It isn't going to put teachers in the classrooms. It isn't going to provide schools with those basic resources that schools need if teachers are going to have the tools they ought to have to teach our kids." The bill also suggests having students recite an oath to the Queen. Neither of these acts will inspire patriotism or solve the problems caused by lack of funding, but they will provide another mechanism for the government to look like they are tough on evil rebellious young people. People who don't want to recite an oath for reasons of conscience will be portrayed as troublemakers. The government is acting like the thought police here, telling people what to believe. The A2K Committee finds this disturbing.

BILL 74: ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY