The biggest issue for this election seems to be about whether or not to publicly fund faith-based schools. For those who don’t know, the Tories are a major proponent of this and wishes to spend $500 million to kickstart it. The Liberals are playing the opposition on this matter, as we continue to be bombarded with McGuinty’s awkward commerical messages about how it’s a ‘mistake’ and that our public schools is ‘what makes Ontario, Ontario.’
Just as an aside, I feel that the way McGuinty speaks really bugs me. He’s always really awkward and uncomfortable when he speaks in these scripted video announcements. It seems very clear that he has an image consultant working for him, but he’s not playing a good actor.
At the same time, let’s give McGuinty some credit, his ads are way better than the PC ads, which only attempts to attack McGuinty, and never actually tells us anything about his and his party’s political directions. The NDP seems to be doing pretty much the same thing.
Anyways, back to the topic of funding for faith-based schools. What do you guys think of this issue? I am a bit torn, being that I attended a separate school ever since I moved to Canada. As much as I see myself as a undevoted Catholic, I saw the value of my education in its whole part, and I can’t imagine actually cutting Catholic school funding. But at the same time, I also believe in McGuinty’s vision that ‘whatever race or creed, [students] attend the same schools.’ Schools is the best place for young people to integrate and grasp an understanding of the diversity that surrounds them.
So I’m kind of being a hypocrite. I don’t support the expansion of religious schools, but I also don’t support the elimination of Catholic schools.
I’ve been thinking for a while about some options that would make me less hypocritical, and it involves the support for heritage and religious programs held outside of student’s core education. In other words, what if the government provided religious education in public facilities on Saturdays, just like how current students can receive free language and heritage schooling? This would provide equitable religious education to all Ontarians and would help to expand use existing infrastucture which mostly have been active only during Mondays to Fridays. As for the existing Catholic schools, they can be coverted to provide ‘public-public’ education. Would you support this plan?
On an aside topic, I don’t think people are aware that you don’t need to be Catholic to attend Catholic schools. There were a high number of non-demonination and even Sikh and Muslim students (although in low numbers) in my high school. Regardless, I see that it is obviously unfair that Catholic students receive publicly accessible education, and Jewish or Sikh students, for example, do not.
I think there should be just public schools and all catholic schools should be converted to public. Schools and churches need to focus on what their purpose is: schools teach the secular stuff, and churches teach the religious stuff.
Parents should send their kids to school for their regular education, and then they can choose a church and send their kids there for the religious stuff.
Isn't the referendum the biggest issue?
I think the first-past-the-post system is stupid and I don't understand why this is still in use. It doesn't even give the right representation of MPs. The proportion of MPs per party should match how people vote. Isn't that the whole point of democracy?
Some people say FPTP system is good because it tends to produce majority and hence stable governments. But isn't the point of voting is to get the proper representation? If all you want is stable government, then just get a dictator.
Some people say the MMP system creates MPs that don't answer to any constituent. But, because of party discipline, none of the current MPs answer to their constituent anyway. They just follow their party leader because they want to get promoted and get a cabinet job.
In my typically staunch judgemental speak: Secular public schools should be the only public schools. Fully integrated religious instruction should be completely separated from the public education system but objective courses in religion should continue to be funded through public funds.
Basically, I don't believe that public funds should be used to teach someone only one religion in a manner that makes it seem like its a child's only choice. Public funds should be used to teach the precepts and evolution of every religion. Basically, you should be as free as possible to choose which religion you would wish to study or subscribe within a public school.
I hope that makes sense.
*holy long rant coming up!*
John Tory is full of 4 different kinds of bullshit and 10 different kinds of fail.
Rather than reiterate what Shawn(clare) and Leo have so well expressed, I'm gonna move away from the religion bit and just say that it's impossible to only fund public schools. Canada's educational decree is built upon catholic/christian schooling. Gotta love that BNA.
BUT
there is no reason to fund other faith-based schools. I'd allow Tory to make stupid promises like this if we had a surplus budget for education. As it is, we're always hearing about strikes and program cuts.
I wonder how much more will be cut in order to fund other schools? Will all of Ontario's educational standards fall to mediocre levels? Our current ed. ideals are already well down the shitter.
John Tory's trying to play it smart...as smart as a politician can get, I suppose. He's already abandoned the aboriginal vote, so he's trying to appeal to the rest of the multicultural vote. Boo-hiss.
After typing all of this and really thinking it through, I'd like to re-assess my initial evaluation. Tory's about 10 parts bullshit and 8.7 parts fail.
If i've offended anyone's political views...uh...too bad. To quote the cliche, opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one.
Re: Electoral Reform
I personally don't see as much debate about whether to stay with First-Past-the-Post or to switch to the Mixed Member Proportional. But I did watch the Interactive Flash video [ http://yourbigdecision.ca/en_CA/Media.aspx ] from the Referendum Ontario website, and there was a hot guy talk about the issues/concerns. Anyways, he's very entertaining becuase he speaks so eloquently (definitely better than Dalton McGuinty!), plus, this guy can speak French too!
Yes, I saw the French one too! [ http://yourbigdecision.ca/fr_ca/media.aspx ].
Re: Faith-based schools
Anyways, the opinions as indicated here are pretty similar-- get rid of 'fully integrated religious instruction.'
I didn't know that Roman Catholic education, as Jo mentioned, is actually enshrined in the British North America Act. The Globe talks about it too [ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070913.wontschools13/BNStory/ontarioelection2007/home ]. But regardless of the issue, if we do denounce funding for other faith-based schools, we still have a concern that our society favours one religion over the other. So what to do?
Re: referendum
There's an entire facebook group devoted to opposing MMP -- on the basis that the MMPs are appointed rather than elected (the idea is that you vote for the party, but the party picks the candidate to represent your electoral riding...).
On that note, I still think we should move to proportional representation. It's ridiculous how diluted our vote is in urban areas when our voting system is not proportionate to population density. A rural person's vote (which tends to be a typical tory-voting person) has much more weight, and presumably that's why right-wingist are very much against it.
Re: Catholic school funding
I'll be the first NDPer to say that I agree with John Tory. Either we abandon the catholic funding (and I was the product of Catholic teaching) or we fund all faith-based religion. Saying that it would undermine the public system is not a valid argument to circumvent equality rights. Of course, because Catholic school funding is entrenched into our constitution, that's the only reason why funding just the Catholic schools' not ruled unconstitutional. In any case, religion plurality should not be the sacrifice just because someone screwed up the accounting for public schools. (of course, the Supreme court disagreed. See Adler v. Ontario - summary on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adler_v._Ontario)
It's unfortunate that much of our constitutional history is self-servingly biased towards benefiting values of the Catholic church (which was protected because of its minority status). So I think in the interest of minority rights protection and equality principles, we should be ensuring a healthy diversity of pluralism in religious teaching without one being substantially advantaged through public subsidies. The reason why catholic funding was enshrined in the first place was exactly because catholics were financially disadvantaged by the unlevel playing field against the protestant (and public) education.
That being said, i think it's political suicide to open this topic as an election platform.
Matt,
Just look at take a look at Toronto. Is it a melting pot of cultures? Is it truly multicultural? Is it a unified society? I think it is safe to say that the answer to all these questions is, no! A good example was when T.O. was struck by the SARS virus and we all know what happened. A majority of the population labelled it a "chinese" disease and avoided areas that were segregated as "chinese". I remeber going to the Mandarin restaurant during the outbreak and seeing the whole parking lot empty, except maybe for 4 or 5 cars and the restaurant was devoid of life.
So, clearly our society is divided on ethnic, race, religion, and class. Even if we cannot eliminate the latter case, we surely can get rid-of the first three. The only way this can be achieved is by starting at the bottom, i.e. in schools at a very early age of a person's life, where they grow together with people from different backgrounds, religions, classes, and ethnicities so that they don't see another human being based on their skin colour or religion or other superficial feature, but they overcome difference.
I think Toronto, in particular, and Ontario, in general, has a long way to go to be a truly multicultural society where superficial difference is non-existent hence, people like John Tory, who proposes to destroy the fabric of our society should be squashed as early as possible before they create an incureable cancer in our society.