Mr. Speaker, racism breeds intolerance in society. One would think educational institutions in our multicultural society would be the last place where racism would exist. This is not the case.
Three weeks ago Mahendra Gupta, a teacher at Toronto's Humberside Collegiate, was deliberately pushed down a flight of stairs at the school. He was later found unconscious at the bottom of a concrete stairwell.
It was a cold and calculated attack. School officials were aware of racist correspondence sent to five non-white teachers but chose not to inform students and staff.
Racism still permeates the Toronto school board. According to Rick Kollins, a Toronto board superintendent, the attack was "not a good news story but a sign of moving in the right direction".
Years of inaction and window dressing by the Toronto school board have resulted in a teacher being racially attacked and the attack is perceived as a positive development by senior officials. It is not.