Toronto Catholic schools may fly 'pro-life' flags in May Here's why

The Toronto Catholic School Board (TCDSB) is calling for the “international flag of life” to be flown outside its schools next month.

Last month, TCDSB Trustee Mike Del Grande made a motion asking all staff and students in Ward 7 (Scarborough Agincourt) to support and participate in the annual National March for Life by flying the official pro-life flag each May. Anti-abortion march to be held in Ottawa. The board will discuss the proposal at its next meeting on April 23.

The school board currently includes 196 schools and serves more than 86,000 students. Now, Toronto has reached out to the TCDSB for comment, but received only a date for its next meeting in response.

Del Grande cites numerous church teachings to support his proposal, such as “Thou shalt not kill the innocent and the righteous” and “Human life must be respected and protected from birth.”

If passed, all TCDSB members would be required to participate in the May 9 anti-abortion march. Those unable to attend will be required to study the curriculum for life during normal school hours that day.

“…The board mandates that during the month of March, during the regular school day, the entire curriculum will be devoted solely to the specific teaching of the portions of the Catechism identified in this movement,” the proposal states.

This includes the teachings of the Gospel of Life written by Pope John Paul II and the teachings of the Bible.

The National March for Life is an annual protest event on Parliament Hill. The protest, organized by the Campaign Life coalition, is a “Day of Evil” in 1969, when a bill passed under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau decriminalized abortion.

Since its inception in 1998, the event has grown in number of people of all ages and supporters.

Del Grande made headlines in 2019 when she made inappropriate comments about 2SLGBTQ+ rights, linking it to bestiality, pedophilia, and cannibalism.

The former Toronto city councilor also said adding terms like gender identity to the board's code of conduct would lead to a “slippery slope.”

As a result, he was involved in a legal battle with the school board and the Ontario College of Teachers, and the Campaign Life Coalition crowdfunded to cover his legal fees.