PETITION TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
WHEREAS Black, Indigenous, and racialized people are often subject to race-based hair discrimination, including experiencing racism in the workplace – resulting in negative impacts on their health, safety, wellbeing, and livelihoods.
WHEREAS Black, Indigenous and racialized performers with natural textured hair often arrive in their workplace of film/TV and theatre sets with professional hairstylists who have received insufficient training for working with their hair type – risking permanent damage to their physical appearance and therefore earning potential.
WHEREAS physical presentation, which includes textured hair maintenance and protective styles, is directly linked to physical safety, mental health and sense of identity, self-esteem, confidence, and career advancement.
WHEREAS hairstyling training in Ontario currently only focusses on cutting, designing, permanent waving, chemically relaxing, straightening and colouring hair, but does not have any instruction or practice to ensure every hairstylist can service Black people’s natural hair or the textured hair of many Indigenous and/or racialized performers.
THEREFORE we the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately pass Bill 147, Protecting our Crowns (Training Requirements with respect to Black, Indigenous, Racialized, Natural and Textured Hair Types) Act, 2023 calling for the Government of Ontario and Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development which regulates the hairstyling trade profession in Ontario to amend the Hairstyling Program Standard to mandate culturally-responsive training, specific to Black, Indiegnous, racialized, natural, and textured hair in hairstyling education and practice across Ontario's film & television industry.