by Cathy Cove
copyright - Goderich Signal Star

GOVERNMENT FUNDING OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS – POLITICAL FOOTBALL OR NECESSARY DISCUSSION?

It should surprise no one that the provincial conservatives are moving to include more choice for parents in the education of their children.

Given the growing diversity of our province especially in our large urban centres, it’s just a matter of time before one government or another would come up with a plan to acknowledge the diversity in our schools, and offer up resources in support.

On July 23 Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory announced his party’s plan to strike The Public Education Fairness Implementation Commission which would be chaired by former Premier and former Education Minister, the Hon. William G. Davis.
Tory’s plan is to directly fund faith-based schools which will be required to teach the provincial curriculum, administer standardized tests and comply with teacher credentialing.

In bringing this issue to the forefront Tory acknowledged that his plan will give the public system an opportunity to expand, giving students of other faiths the same opportunities the Catholic school system provides.

Also not surprising is the provincial NDP opposition of diverting public money to private schools. The NDP insists that neither the current nor previous government funded the public education systems to their satisfaction.

Huron/Bruce NDP candidate Paul Klopp told me that while he recognizes the choice of some religions to educate their children in the way that they see fit, he is opposed to the issue being used as a political football. “It’s the wrong way to go,” said Klopp. “Especially in rural communities where because of declining enrolment it makes more sense to have all of our children being educated together rather than seperating them.”

Cautiously optimistic, the school choice supportive Society for Quality Education warns Tory of pitfalls in the plan.

“We are waiting to see to what extent the conservatives will require participating schools to submit to the regulatory burden that is crushing publicly-funded schools,” said SQE executive director Doretta Wilson. She continues that “if for example, eligible schools are forced to hire provincially-certified teachers or use provincially-approved textbooks, they will be in danger of losing their uniqueness.”
If hard questions on this issue need asking, it’s to the current government and their conflicting position on funding for faith-based schools.

This conflict was demonstrated publicly in the legislature in April when Liberal backbench MPP Peter Fonseca stunned his colleagues by introducing a motion opposing “any attempt to take public money and hand it over to private schools.”

As reported by Toronto Star Queen’s Park columnist Ian Urquhart the move “backfired” on the Liberals, “especially on those representing ridings with large numbers of children in Jewish, Muslim, or Christian Fundamentalist schools.”
What was even more embarrassing to the government was that only six Liberal MPPs showed up to support the motion. The motion was defeated.

In fact, the education minister herself is on record supporting funding for religious schools.

The November 2001 issue of NOW magazine shared “Kathleen Wynne says the party should have taken a principled stand in favour of funding for religious schools during the election. She says she personally urged McGuinty’s advisors to do just that. ‘I’m disappointed we didn’t come out earlier on this. I think we could have claimed some ground.’

Truth be told, I understand that the Toronto District School Board was in negotiations with the funders of the Jewish day schools over a proposal similar to that which is being proposed by the Ontario PCs.

Where Huron/Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell stands on this issue becomes equally compelling given the sentiments expressed in Christina Blizzard’s column two weeks ago which suggested that there is no interest in Mitchell’s riding for the recognition of religious choice because the largest religious group don’t vote.

Think again.

The assumption that constituents only matter if they vote is not just insulting but disrespectful of those of other religions who might, choose to join the public system.

Vote or not, the Mennonite and Amish are members of our community. They do business in our towns, use our services and some students from their schools find their way into our secondary public education system.

Would those eligible voters, (approx. 34%), who didn’t cast a vote last election be dismissed as easily? I seriously doubt it.

Clearly MPP Mitchell has some accounting to do with respect to whether she supports the premise of her backbench colleague’s motion opposing the use of public funds for private schools?

Did she respect her constituents and join the majority of her caucus and stay away from the motion call?

If she supported the motion to oppose using public money for private schools, then she’s at odds with a majority her government’s caucus. That tells us that there’s a government split that merits further scrutiny.

If, on the other hand MPP Mitchell stayed away and didn’t support the motion, it tells us that she too isn’t really opposed to the idea of some funding going to faith-based schools.

The Huron/Bruce community and her constitutents need to know one way or the other.
It becomes just as important that the discussion on this issue happens locally as it is in our cities.

If my suspicions are correct, the current Liberal government and official opposition aren’t as far apart on this issue as we might believe.

The difference is in how open each party is with respect to their intentions.
As the campaign ramps up in the coming months, I’m convinced that time will on this issue as it will on so many others that affect rural, small town Ontario.

Cathy Cove advocath@sympatico.ca