TORONTO —

The event was held to mark the announcement that the program – founded by Tony Comper, immediate past president and CEO of BMO Financial Group, and his wife Elizabeth, a former teacher – has reached almost half a million Canadian elementary school students.

School principal Angela Marsh said the event “at its heart celebrates our country’s diversity.”

On a video prepared for the occasion, students at the multicultural school commented on the program. “It taught me to be nice to people that are different,” said one.

“I don’t laugh at racist jokes any more,” said another.

Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, said that “hearing the kids speak… takes my breath away,” and she called CYJ “an exceptional resource.”

“One of Ontario’s greatest assets is that we have such a diverse population,” she said, adding that the public education system “teaches society how to get along. All the people who use our schools in Ontario deserve a place that’s free of… discrimination, and respects and honours diversity.”

Megan Tran, a Grade 8 student at the school and co-MC for the afternoon, said, “We will use our voices to ensure that mistakes of the past are not repeated in the future.”

The event showcased student artwork and performances, including Stand Together, a song composed by music teachers Laurence Gilman and Edward Hayes, and performed by the “Choose Your Voice Ensemble.”

Elizabeth Comper, who spoke along with her husband, read a letter from a teacher who had used the program. Among her students were bullies who wrote that they didn’t realize what they were doing was harmful.

Other outcomes included students befriending others from different ethnic backgrounds, the teacher wrote.

“I can’t be more proud of you,” Bernie Farber, CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, told the students.