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McGuinty vows to continue religious discrimination in Ontario |
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Written by Atara Beck
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Wednesday, 29 August 2007 |
TORONTO – Although Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is a product of Catholic schools, sends his four children to Catholic schools and his wife teaches at a Catholic school, he insists that funding for other faith-based schools would result in segregation and regression.
Speaking to reporters last week at Queen’s Park before a cabinet meeting, McGuinty said that the coming provincial election in October is “not just business as usual. It’s about the kind of Ontario you want…. If you want the kind of Ontario where we invite children of different faiths to leave the publicly funded system and become sequestered and segregated in their own private schools, then vote for Mr. Tory.”
Calling Conservative leader John Tory’s plan for inclusive public education “regressive,” he continued: “I think that takes us backwards. I think our responsibility is to continue to improve the publicly funded system of education…where we invite children of all backgrounds and faiths and economic circumstances to come together to learn from each other and to grow together.”
B’nai Brith Canada, the leading Jewish human rights organization, has called upon His Grace, Archbishop Thomas Collins to publicly disassociate himself from Premier McGuinty’s remarks that fair funding to non-Catholic faith-based schools will indeed cause social unrest.
Many are amazed at the premier’s ongoing use of the term “segregation,” especially considering the fact that he managed to rise to the position of leader of this multicultural province despite having been educated exclusively among his own co-religionists, or to paraphrase the premier’s own remarks, “sequestered and segregated in his own private school.”
McGuinty told reporters that when he travels, the first question he gets from people, upon hearing that 52 per cent of the people in the GTA were born outside of Canada, is: “So where’s the disruption? Where’s the turmoil? Where’s the animosity? Why is it that you have such a diverse population and yet you can manage it so well?”
“An important part of our foundation for social cohesion is a publicly funded education system,” he added.
“I can’t stress enough how offended I am and how offended many parents are by his use of words,” declared Stuart Lewis, executive director of Ontario Association of Jewish Day Schools (OAJDS). “People are offended by insinuations that when law-abiding Ontarians send their children to faith-based schools, this could lead to social unrest. I believe an apology is in order.”
According to Sharon Dagan, who has two children at a Jewish day school,“McGuinty isn’t providing a clear picture of the publicly funded education system to the voting public. The government accommodates our Catholic students but provides no support for those of other faiths.
“This is not about children leaving the public system. It’s about recognizing and accommodating the needs of about 2 per cent of children who want to join the publicly funded education system and preserve their religious identity.”
McGuinty’s justification for the continued support for Catholic schools to the exclusion of other faiths: “My definition of progress is to continue to build on the foundation we’ve already put in place…. That’s the system we have inherited.”
However, according to a statement by Tory, his policy has been “misrepresented” by McGuinty.
“Today in Ontario, there are 53,000 students attending faith-based schools totally outside the system of public education,” he said. “My plan is about bringing people together. I do not believe that in a diverse society like this we can afford to leave these 53,000 kids out of public education. “I think those kids deserve and I want them to have an education that meets the very same standards that we all know are the cornerstones of our public education.
Others seem to agree. “It’s disappointing that McGuinty uses fearmongering tactics about Tory’s plan to allow all faith-based schools to join the public school system, just like the Catholics have done for ages,” stated Mustafa Rawji, a trustee at the As-Sadia Islamic School in Thornhill. “The main point is that most provinces already fund faith-based schools with positive results and no negative feedback, neither socially nor academically.”
Kanayal Raina, executive director of the Hindu Heritage Centre, said McGuinty is “segregating this province from the rest of Canada.
“I don’t know what got into him,” Raina said. “He’s just talking like a
desperate politician. He talks about social turmoil, but he doesn’t explain how that would come about. Are we the bad guys?”
The Jewish Tribune contacted the premier’s office to ask whether he truly believes funding faith-based schools would create social upheaval, but received no response. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 December 2008 )
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