Conservative MP Rachael Thomas says she will be tabling a motion to denounce the decision by an Ontario school board to remove books through a process called “weeding.”
The MP for Lethbridge, Alberta, made the remarks during a Sept. 28 meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, of which she is a member. She called on the committee to affirm its commitment to freedom of speech.
“The reason I am tabling this motion is because there have been many students, many parents, and many community members as well as teachers who have spoken out with great concern regarding this,” she said during the meeting.
“The thing that is of concern is not that books are being taken off the shelf and that there’s this replenishment process. That is normal. In this case, though, what the school board has described as its criteria is of great concern.”
Ms. Thomas said one of the criteria for removing books is whether or not the literature is “culturally relevant.”
“So it poses great questions with regards to freedom of speech, freedom of expression. Who gets to be the czar of truth, who gets to determine what is culturally relevant?” she said.