EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a new Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park
Premier Doug Ford said Monday he believes school violence “starts at home” and that if he had ever hit a teacher, he’d “get twice the hit” when he got home.
The anecdote led some online commentators — and the Ontario Liberal leader — to assume the premier was advocating for corporal punishment, something Ford’s education minister denied.
It started at a press conference in Mississauga when Ford was asked what the government is doing to tackle the issue of violence in elementary schools. The reporter cited a survey by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) that the union says shows high and rising rates of violence in public schools, requiring increased funding for public schools and more support staff for high-needs students.