Politicians raise concerns about dress code blitz at Ottawa school
An Ottawa Liberal candidate is vowing to fight to end dress codes in schools, after students and parents raised concerns with a dress code "blitz" by staff at a French Catholic high school in Orléans this week.
The principal and senior staff at Beatrice-Desloges Catholic High School went class to class on Thursday to remind students about the dress code in effect at the school, accoding to the French Catholic school board. The blitz provoked immediate outrage among parents and students, who say the actions went too far and seemed to be aimed only at female students.
Ottawa Vanier Liberal candidate Lucille Collard said on Twitter, "dress codes are so outdated and discriminatory. I'll fight to get this practice to stop."
Orleans Liberal candidate Stephen Blais said the school board trustee for the area has committed to a full investigation.
"Very concerned about the dress code incident at Béatrice-Desloges. Women should never be judged for what they wear," Blais said on Twitter.
Cumberland councillor Catherine Kitts called the dress code blitz, along with the police response to a protest at the school on Friday, concerning.
"School action against young women who were aggressively targeted for dress code violations also appears wildly inappropriate," Kitts said.
The Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est superintendent of education Jason Dupuis admits the enforcement action by school staff could have been handled differently."
The CECCE will review the dress code currently in place at Beatrice-Desloges High School and possibly make changes for the rest of the school year, according to the board.
"Looking at what we can change to be more in line of fashion of 2022," Dupuis said.
Ottawa police say a youth who was not a student at the school and identified as trespassing was arrested at the scene. Police said the youth was escorted off the school property and released with no charges.
Coun. Jeff Leiper, who is a member of the Ottawa Police Services Board, said he had contacted police about the presence at the school.
"I have spoken with police to express my disagreement with physically taking control of the youth even if trespassing," Leiper said on Twitter.
"I don't immediately see the need to have escalated the situation. To those students who walked out: good on you. Keep calling out misogyny."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.