Tory hits the hot button [Public funding of faith based schools]

Toronto Sun ^ | 2007-09-09 | Lorrie Goldstein

[Clive]

Tory hits the hot button

But McGuinty's the one fear-mongering and flip-flopping on faith-based schools issue

By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN

Ontarians must not allow partisan rhetoric by provincial politicians on the controversial issue of funding faith-based schools to explode into hysteria and bigotry leading up to the Oct. 10 election.

This issue has been incendiary throughout our history and has led to many unfortunate episodes.

In the 1985 election after then-premier Bill Davis announced full funding for Catholic high schools before retiring, the late Anglican Archbishop Lewis Garnsworthy compared him to Hitler, a grotesque overstatement, even for many who thought Davis was wrong.

Now, Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty is playing a dangerous game by implying Conservative Leader John Tory risks segregating students by religion for proposing to fund Jewish, Muslim and other Christian schools, in addition to Catholic ones.

McGuinty has flip-flopped. In 1998, he told the Canadian Jewish Congress while his immediate goal (nine years ago) was improving public education: "I have no ideological opposition to ensuring that public funds support Jewish day schools." In 2001, he told the Ottawa Citizen there was an "issue of unfairness there that will have to be addressed" in the funding of Jewish, Muslim and Christian schools and "the ideal here is equity with the Catholic system." McGuinty described the conditions on funding he would impose on these schools, which mirror what Tory is saying today.

I disagree with Tory and believe he has blundered politically by advocating a controversial policy, unpopular with much of the Conservative base and difficult to defend in 10-second sound bites.

ONTARIO'S DIVERSITY

That said, Tory is at least being logical and fair-minded in arguing that since Catholic schools are publicly funded, it's only fair to recognize other religions in light of the diverse nature of modern Ontario.

I, and many Ontarians, share another view which is also logical and fair-minded -- creating one, secular public school system and funding no religious schools.

It is McGuinty's position that is illogical, inconsistent with his past views and in his own words, unfair.

To be clear, a valid case can be made that while the status quo is imperfect, changing it would be unacceptably painful. There are also legitimate concerns about how effectively these new faith-based schools would be monitored to ensure they follow the Ontario curriculum, although right now they aren't effectively monitored at all.

What's sleazy is McGuinty's suggestion Tory wants to divide young Ontarians by religion by irresponsibly referring to loaded concepts like segregation. (Are Catholic students segregated by Ontario society?)

Ontario is the only province that fully funds public schools and the schools of only one religious faith.

Other provinces either fund only the public system, or the public system with partial funding to religious schools, not restricted by faith.

McGuinty's claim Ontario would be torn apart doing what five provinces now do in some way is absurd. Ditto claims it would be impossible to define faith-based schools. Other provinces have. So could Ontario.

Last week, the secular media invented a non-story in order to attack Tory for saying faith-based schools could teach creationism while receiving public funds. So what? Catholic schools can teach creationism now, as long as they do it in religion, not science classes. Was McGuinty attacked for that?

Liberal hysteria about the $400 million Tory's proposal would cost is a red herring, given the billions the Liberals spend and waste every year. The real issue is whether this would be the best use of scarce education dollars.

A recent poll found most Ontarians (58%) favour one publicly-funded school system, which isn't McGuinty's position or Tory's. Those of us who hold this majority view must not allow this debate to degenerate further.

While we may disagree, Catholic schools have understandably made use of a constitutional guarantee they were given at Confederation and over the years have lobbied effectively to improve. Other faith-based schools are raising the logical argument they, in fairness, deserve similar consideration.

We have the right to oppose this, but we must also denounce arguments based not on reason, but on political opportunism and ignorance that could incite bigotry in others.

We must be more thoughtful, mature, and honourable than politicians. It shouldn't be hard.

[Clive]

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[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Tory is at least being logical and fair-minded in arguing that since Catholic schools are publicly funded, it's only fair to recognize other religions in light of the diverse nature of modern Ontario. I, and many Ontarians, share another view which is also logical and fair-minded -- creating one, secular public school system and funding no religious schools.

IOW, you favor a culture in which traditional religions are unimportant.

You assume that the fact that Christianity was the culture from which your preferred culture sprang is irrelevant, and that your preferred culture did or could have sprung de novo from no predecedent culture. Astonishing hubris, that.

[fanfan]

[UKrepublican]

Interesting coincidence - our government has also just revealed plans to expand faith schools.