[ryan29]

here in ontario were having a provincial election and this issue has become an issue due to the pc party plan to study the idea of funding all faith based schools. part of the plan also involves bring these private schools into public system and wants them to teach ontario curriculum .
it is being meet with some support and much critism from liberals and even some tories .

to heat up this issue the green party has came out and said it wants to stop funding to all faith based schools including catholic ones.

what are your thoughs on this issue


Tory 'takes us backwards'Preem rips Conservative idea of bringing religious-based schools into the public system
By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF




Premier Dalton McGuinty lashed out at Conservative Leader John Tory's proposal to bring faith-based schools into the public system, suggesting yesterday that it threatens the education system and social cohesion in the province.

"I don't think that Ontarians believe that improvement or progress is defined as inviting children of different faiths to leave the publicly funded system as we know it and go to their own schools," McGuinty said. "I think that's regressive; I think that takes us backwards; I think our responsibility is to continue to improve the publicly funded system of education."

McGuinty said a public school system is a foundation for social cohesion, bringing children of all different backgrounds, faiths and economic circumstances together to learn.

However, McGuinty said he has no plans to stop funding Catholic schools.

Parents who send their children to private faith-based schools have long complained that it is unfair to put public dollars into one religion's schools while denying help to people of other denominations.



Tory is promising that religious schools could join the public system and eventually receive full funding, if they are willing to teach the Ontario curriculum, hire appropriately trained teachers and submit students to standardized testing.

"It would bring together and provide equal opportunity for all students in this province," PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer said yesterday. "We need to provide equal opportunity for these young people. And if you bring them into the public school system they can interact with one another, they can participate in sports or sciences fairs, other activities, together."

But several PC insiders conceded privately that the proposal is proving a hard sell in many parts of the province.

'HARDEST THING TO DO'

"The hardest thing to do in government is to fix something the public doesn't know is broken," one Conservative said. Another source said at least two sitting PC MPPs are worried they may suffer at the polls this fall, and one of those MPPs is lobbying the leader's office to have the policy reversed before the election.

Tory said yesterday he does not believe a diverse society such as Ontario can afford to leave the 53,000 kids in private faith-based schools out of the public system.

He noted McGuinty, a Catholic, received a publicly funded, faith-based education.

[ryan29]

Religious-school funding to be a 'defining issue'
McGuinty rejects faith-based funding; Tory focuses on leadership; Hampton highlights broken promises
KAREN HOWLETT

August 23, 2007

TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made it clear yesterday that he will campaign vigorously against Opposition Leader John Tory's promise to fund non-Catholic religious schools, which he said would threaten the stability of the entire public education system.

Mr. McGuinty said the plan to extend public funding to other religious schools will be a "defining issue" in the Oct. 10 provincial election.

"I'm hoping to grab Ontarians by the earlobes and say, 'It's not just another election. It's not just business as usual. It's about the kind of Ontario you want,' " he told reporters yesterday.

Vote for the Tories, he said, and children of different religious faiths will be invited to be segregated in private schools. Give the governing Liberals a second term, he said, and his party will build on the foundations of stability and progress he said have been made during its first four years in office. Mr. McGuinty prides himself on his government's track record for making labour peace with the province's teachers, reducing class sizes in early grades and raising test scores.


As all three major political parties in Ontario begin staking out their ground for the campaign, financing for religious schools is one of the few issues that shows a sharp difference between Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Tory.

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, who is running against Mr. Tory in the Toronto riding of Don Valley West, said the proposal threatens the stability of the system because it would strip about $500-million out of public schools, which would start to "deplete" all the gains made by the Liberals.

"I think it's a bad policy initiative," she told reporters.

Mr. Tory accused the Premier yesterday of "fear mongering" and pointed out that Ontario is the only province that pays the entire cost for students who attend Roman Catholic schools and none of the costs for students who attend Islamic, Jewish or other faith-based schools. Six other provinces fund faith-based schools, he said on CBC Radio's Here and Now. "They have not seen public education disappear as we know it," Mr. Tory said.

The parties have very different ideas of what the defining issues will be during the campaign, which officially kicks off in 18 days when the writ is dropped.

The Tories plan to make leadership and Mr. McGuinty's track record of broken promises front and centre in their campaign.

"The defining issue of this campaign is going to be leadership," Tory MPP Elizabeth Witmer said yesterday.

She criticized Mr. McGuinty for his pre-election spending spree adding up to about $26-billion. The spending promises come from the same person who broke a promise in the 2003 campaign not to raise taxes by imposing the $2.6-billion a year health-tax premium, Ms. Witmer said.

[OnTheIce]

I'm a Conservative willing to vote Liberal to STOP this plan.

This is the worst idea I've seen in Ontario politics in my life. I've refused to donate to the Ontario PC's and I didn't renew my membership.

Guess that speaks volumes about what I think about it.

[ryan29]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

I'm a Conservative willing to vote Liberal to STOP this plan.

This is the worst idea I've seen in Ontario politics in my life. I've refused to donate to the Ontario PC's and I didn't renew my membership.

Guess that speaks volumes about what I think about it.

remember you said you were against this plan previously , back then i never though it would turn into an actual election issue .

[sasquatch2]

I find it rather interesting that the LIBRANOs object to funding parochial schools when this was introduced initially by Mitch Hepburn (a LIBRANO).

But then when you consider that McSquinty is sponsored by the teacher's unions all this makes sense. These private schools do not and will not march to the drum of the teachers unions.

[Tricks]

I would never support Faith based school funding.

[ryan29]

sasquatch2 sasquatch2:

I find it rather interesting that the LIBRANOs object to funding parochial schools when this was introduced initially by Mitch Hepburn (a LIBRANO).

But then when you consider that McSquinty is sponsored by the teacher's unions all this makes sense. These private schools do not and will not march to the drum of the teachers unions.

the teachers unions clearly have the ear of the liberal government and are a major supporter of them.

it doesn't surprise me they are raising alot of fuss about this issue , even thought it really doesn't effect very many people .

[mankind3]

Why give money to faith-based schools when the public sector needs it. However I do see why the PC's are doing it under the UN recommendations do to its discriminatory giving the catholic schools funding but not the others. Its a mix issue for me.

[ryan29]

article fom pc party website, as i understand the pc's are only saying they will study the idea and not actually immediatly fund faith based schools. and a major part of plan is to incorporate faith based schools into public system.
but i'm having trouble downloading actual plan and will have to try again tomorrow.


Today John Tory and MPP Frank Klees met with representatives of the faith-based schools system and expanded on the "open arms and open minds" plan to bring all Ontario students from all faiths, closer together. Tory said this plan includes more funding for Ontario's public schools, incorporating faith-based schools into the public education system and appointing the Hon. Bill Davis to head a Public Education Fairness Implementation Committee.

If you're interested in the issue of faith-based schools, you can find more information on the PC Party Plan here.

[Mustang1]

sasquatch2 sasquatch2:

I find it rather interesting that the LIBRANOs object to funding parochial schools when this was introduced initially by Mitch Hepburn (a LIBRANO).

But then when you consider that McSquinty is sponsored by the teacher's unions all this makes sense. These private schools do not and will not march to the drum of the teachers unions.

Hepburn?!?!? Are you kidding me? Firstly, he was more a conservative ideologically than anything (I don't expect you to understand, but then, history doesn't need your uneducated verification anyway) and secondly so what? Free Trade (or Reciprocity) was traditionally a Liberal Party policy plank (stretching back to late 1800s) but Turner opposed in the 80s. You know that means? Squat. Back to your corner

Faith-based schools? Dumb idea that may cost the Tories some conservative votes.

[sasquatch2]

$1:

Mustang1
Sasquatch2 wrote

$1:

I find it rather interesting that the LIBRANOs object to funding parochial schools when this was introduced initially by Mitch Hepburn (a LIBRANO).

But then when you consider that McSquinty is sponsored by the teacher's unions all this makes sense. These private schools do not and will not march to the drum of the teachers unions.

Hepburn?!?!? Are you kidding me? Firstly, he was more a conservative ideologically than anything..........

ROTFALMFAO

Hepburn was and still is an embarrassment to the LIBRANOs.... an inconvenient truth....like MacKenzie King and his dog.

[Wally_Sconce]

MacKenzie King was a liberal? LOL thats ironic when you consider his connection to the Ludlow Masacre.

[Bruce_the_vii]

I don't get the opposition to letting highly religious people try to raise their kids properly by having religious schools. The NDP will tell you it'll turn children into bigots, but I don't see that.

[Zipperfish]

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

I don't get the opposition to letting highly religious people try to raise their kids properly by having religious schools. The NDP will tell you it'll turn children into bigots, but I don't see that.

Well apparently Taliban means "student." I assume most of them went to religious schools. Were they "raised properly"?

[Bruce_the_vii]

Afghanistan is on the other side of the world and about a 1000 years behind the modern world. What you know about life and survival 1000 years ago is Zip. Try speaking in your own "voice" if you want people to listen to you.