Wynne urges Elgie to ‘search her conscience’
But premier stops short of calling for embattled trustee to resign over racial slur
Nancy Elgie must “search her conscience” as she clings to her position on the York Region school board after using an “unacceptable” slur in reference to a black parent, says Premier Kathleen Wynne.
While she stopped short of urging the defiant trustee to resign, Wynne — herself a former Toronto trustee — instead said “individuals have to make their own decisions.
“But there are no circumstances in which a child or a staff member or family — anyone who works in a board — should be subjected to racism, should be subjected to discrimination . . . You know an individual will have to make up her own mind,” Wynne said at Queen’s Park on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of pressure on her.”
When reporters noted that two of Wynne’s own cabinet ministers, as well as the leaders of the Progressive Conservatives and the NDP, have publicly urged Elgie to step down, she said the broader issue is the culture at the York board, one “that is making it so that people feel unsafe, that they feel that they’re not able to speak out.”
“It’s important that we recognize that from what we are hearing, there may be some concerns about systemic racism at the board. That is a huge concern.”
Just last month, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter ordered two troubleshooters to probe incidents of racism and Islamophobia at the board, as well as trustee conduct and travel spending, as the controversy around Elgie continued to grow.
Last November, Elgie, 82, used the word “n-----” to refer to a black parent, in public, after a meeting. The board hired an outside investigator and Elgie apologized. Her family blamed the incident on a head injury, suffered last October, and the resulting concussion that caused Elgie to mix up her words. She is now on medical leave.
When asked to respond to the pre- mier’s comments, Elgie’s daughter Allyson Harrison replied: “Mom has given this lots of thought. The comments I sent (Tuesday) still stand.”
Those comments include an apology, saying “she could not be more sorry . . . as she has expressed, but she did not use this word with malicious intent.”
“There are many different views on what is the appropriate remedy here. Some have called for suspension, some for resignation. Others — such as the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion — have opposed punishment, and called for a process of investigation, understanding and learning.
“She wants to do the right thing, and set a good example. When you do something that causes harm, even if it was not intentional and you apologize and take responsibility, there still should be some consequence. She believes there should be a sanction, one that reflects all the circumstances here, as well as a process to promote learning, healing and restoration.”
Elgie herself has proposed a threeto six-month suspension from the board, although parents and community members continue to push for her to resign.
Board chair Loralea Carruthers has said it’s clear to her the board cannot move forward from all of its troubles unless Elgie goes.
Meanwhile, the head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission took to social media to comment on the situation, after Carruthers publicly called for Elgie’s resignation — the first on her board to do so.
“Much-needed leadership,” Mandhane tweeted. “Single serious incident can create a poisoned environment & intention is not required to find discrimination.”
Wynne said Elgie must now “search her conscience and make a decision for herself.”
“I am not excusing a particular behaviour, but what I am saying is that we need to look at systemically, what’s going on, what’s the culture that needs to be tackled here.”
“But am I concerned about the culture of the board? Absolutely,” Wynne said. “That’s why the investigation is going on.
“And, quite frankly, it is why, at this moment, we have set up an AntiRacism Directorate. Because I believe that there is systemic racism. It’s not about one institution, it’s not about one particular sector. But the reality is . . . whether it’s anti-black racism, whether it’s Islamophobia, we are dealing with issues of racism right now that have to be challenged and have to be dealt with.”