Jack MacLaren says he's more careful and conscious after sensitivity training
An eastern Ontario MPP who was asked to take sensitivity training instead of being at Queen's Park after telling a controversial joke says he's learned a lot about how to be more conscious and careful.
Jack MacLaren was at a "men's night" fundraiser in his riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills in March when he told a sexual joke about Liberal MP Karen McCrimmon and her husband.
When that came to light, along with fake endorsements on his website, Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown demoted MacLaren from his role as the regional representative in the party's caucus, then asked him to stay away from Queen's Park so he could take sensitivity training.
MacLaren said Saturday night at an event organized by his supporters he's finished that training and it was a "positive experience."
"I must admit I did have things to learn and I did learn something from it: that we have be more conscious of the things we say and that sometimes inadvertently we can say words that might offend someone even when no intention to offend is met," he said.
"I learned a lot from it."
Learned about jokes
MacLaren, first elected in 2011, said the training included examples of what's appropriate and inappropriate to say around different groups of people.
He said he'll now choose his words more carefully and be more considerate.
"Jokes in particular can be taken the wrong way by some people," he said.
"Even though they're meant in good humour and good fun and not meant with any sense of hurt, a joke can be taken the wrong way, so we have to be very conscious of who we're speaking to and be confident the audience would receive a joke with the way it was intended."
MacLaren went on to give 15 minute speech about acceptance and diversity to a crowd of just under 200 people at the Intercultural Dialogue Institute in Kanata, saying also he'll be running again next provincial election.
He wouldn't say when he'll be back at Queen's Park, just that "it's sooner now than it was a few weeks ago."
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/ottawa/jack-maclaren-mpp-joke-sensitivity-training-1.3605433
An eastern Ontario MPP who was asked to take sensitivity training instead of being at Queen's Park after telling a controversial joke says he's learned a lot about how to be more conscious and careful.
Jack MacLaren was at a "men's night" fundraiser in his riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills in March when he told a sexual joke about Liberal MP Karen McCrimmon and her husband.
When that came to light, along with fake endorsements on his website, Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown demoted MacLaren from his role as the regional representative in the party's caucus, then asked him to stay away from Queen's Park so he could take sensitivity training.
MacLaren said Saturday night at an event organized by his supporters he's finished that training and it was a "positive experience."
"I must admit I did have things to learn and I did learn something from it: that we have be more conscious of the things we say and that sometimes inadvertently we can say words that might offend someone even when no intention to offend is met," he said.
"I learned a lot from it."
Learned about jokes
MacLaren, first elected in 2011, said the training included examples of what's appropriate and inappropriate to say around different groups of people.
He said he'll now choose his words more carefully and be more considerate.
"Jokes in particular can be taken the wrong way by some people," he said.
"Even though they're meant in good humour and good fun and not meant with any sense of hurt, a joke can be taken the wrong way, so we have to be very conscious of who we're speaking to and be confident the audience would receive a joke with the way it was intended."
MacLaren went on to give 15 minute speech about acceptance and diversity to a crowd of just under 200 people at the Intercultural Dialogue Institute in Kanata, saying also he'll be running again next provincial election.
He wouldn't say when he'll be back at Queen's Park, just that "it's sooner now than it was a few weeks ago."
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/ottawa/jack-maclaren-mpp-joke-sensitivity-training-1.3605433
