Banning EDI: "Stop Making Everything About Race"

Silencing the truth doesn’t keep kids safe. It keeps them ignorant.

Across Canada, public institutions, especially schools and government offices, are backtracking or outright banning anti-racism and EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) work.

These decisions are often framed as “keeping things neutral,” “focusing on merit,” or “getting back to basics.”

But here’s the truth: this backlash is not about fairness or unity. It’s about protecting power and erasing accountability.

What’s being said?

“EDI is divisive. Anti-racism is too political.”

“We should treat everyone the same.”

“We’re moving to a merit-based system.”

“We want education, not indoctrination.”

What’s actually happening?

• Anti-racism teams are being dismantled

• Staff responsible for equity and inclusion are being laid off or reassigned

• Training for public servants and educators is being cancelled

• Curriculum content on race, oppression, colonization, and power is being removed or watered down

• Race-based data collection is being shut down or challenged

These moves don’t create fairness. They protect white supremacy under the mask of “neutrality.”

Why can’t we just be “colourblind” or “treat everyone equally”?

Because systems in Canada were never built to treat everyone equally. They were built on colonization, anti-Blackness, and white Christian dominance. To say “just treat everyone the same” assumes we all started from the same place. But we didn’t.

• Indigenous children were stolen and placed in residential schools

• Black communities were redlined and overpoliced

• Immigrants were brought in to build infrastructure and then excluded from it

• 2SLGBTQIA+ people were criminalized for existing

Anti-racism and EDI work doesn’t create division, it reveals it. And that makes some people very uncomfortable.

Why do some people want it gone?

Because it challenges their idea of fairness.

Many white Canadians, especially those in positions of social and economic comfort, have been told their success came from their hard work alone. So, when EDI work asks:

“What privileges did you inherit?”

“How have systems advantaged you?”

“Who is still being excluded?”

It can feel like an attack. Instead of engaging, some choose denial. They say: “I just want unity.” But what they mean is: “I don’t want to think about how I benefit from injustice.”

Who’s pushing these bans and why?

Conservative politicians and right-wing groups are behind most of the pushback. They’ve found that:

• Framing EDI as “woke ideology” gets easy media attention

• Attacking racial justice work fires up their base

• Cancelling programs saves money while pleasing donors

• Fear of being called racist makes people afraid to defend these programs

This isn’t about improving education or governance. It’s about keeping power concentrated and unchallenged.

Who benefits?

• White political leaders who want to maintain control without accountability

• Institutions that want to avoid tough conversations or real change

• Employers who want to ignore hiring bias or workplace discrimination

• People with privilege who feel “tired of being called out”

What’s the danger if it succeeds?

• Teachers stop teaching the truth

• Students grow up with whitewashed versions of history and justice

• Racism and discrimination continue unchecked

• Data needed to address inequity disappears

• Marginalized people lose programs, resources, and representation

• Entire communities are told: “You don’t matter here.”

Who gets hurt?

• Racialized employees, students, and families first and worst

• Educators and equity workers who lose their jobs or are silenced

• All children who miss out on learning the full story of the land they live on

• Communities trying to repair intergenerational harm

And yes, even the people calling for the bans lose something. Because when you shut down anti-racism education:

• Your kids grow up with incomplete tools to navigate difference

• They inherit your fear instead of critical thinking

• They are more easily radicalized by hate movements

• They are less prepared to work, live, and lead in an increasingly global and diverse world

Silencing the truth doesn’t keep them safe. It keeps them ignorant.

Where is this happening in Canada?

• Alberta eliminated its anti-racism advisory council and removed equity-related content from K–6 curriculum under the UCP

• New Brunswick restructured education equity roles and removed inclusion-focused learning

• Ontario quietly dissolved or defunded school board equity teams and banned race-based data collection in some regions

• Nationally, the federal government has been pressured to roll back equity in hiring and remove anti-racism language from public service training

The takeaway?

When people say “anti-racism is political,” what they really mean is: “This challenges the systems I’ve always benefited from.”

If you want a country where everyone belongs, you can’t shut down the work that makes it possible.

Equity isn’t division. It’s repair.

Inclusion isn’t indoctrination. It’s truth.

And justice isn’t a trend. It’s a responsibility.

Still unsure? Ask yourself this.

If you’re thinking:

“But I don’t want a country where everyone belongs.”

“Some people just make things worse.”

“Why should they get special treatment?”

We want to ask:

Who taught you that inclusion is dangerous?

Who benefits when you fear your neighbour?

And what are you willing to lose to stay “on the right side” of power?

Because the truth is:

🔹 When anti-racism is dismantled, it doesn’t stop at race.

🔹 When gender rights are rolled back, it doesn’t end with trans people.

🔹 When public education is defunded, your grandchildren’s school suffers too.

🔹 When care systems are gutted, white women carry the burden of unpaid labour.

🔹 When mental health supports are removed, elders and caregivers are left behind.

🔹 When workers' rights are attacked, white, rural, working-class families lose just like everyone else.

The systems that target “them” today will target you tomorrow.

Oppression doesn’t know when to stop. And once you’ve accepted harm for others, you’ve made it acceptable for yourself.

We don’t have to be afraid of each other.

The fear you’ve been fed isn’t yours, it was handed to you by people who profit off division. And it’s keeping you from the connection, community, and care that you deserve, too.

If you’re tired of being afraid,

If you want something more for your children,

If you believe deep down that we are capable of better—

Then you’re already standing at the edge of something different.

Take one step toward understanding. Ask a new question. Be curious, not combative. Choose courage, not comfort. 

Because belonging doesn’t mean you lose your place. It means we all get one.

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