OttawaWatch: About those faith-based schools

By Lloyd Mackey

THE ONTARIO provincial election, set for October 10, has become the focal point for a voter discussion about government support for non-Catholic faith-based schools.

And the victim in the discussion appears to be Conservative leader John Tory, despite the fact that polls consistently suggest that voters think he would make a better premier than the incumbent, Dalton McGuinty.

* * *

We will return to that discussion in a moment, after reflecting a bit further on Brian Mulroney's Memoirs, touched on in last week's OttawaWatch.

Readers will recall that I noted, then, that Mulroney glossed over or entirely avoided faith-based family and life social issues, in his new book covering that part of his life lived from 1939 to 1993.

As I get a little further into the 1,100 plus pages, there are some references that suggest Mulroney was not entirely devoid of conscience in letting his faith help shape his ideas about social action and justice.

That faith was shaped, to some extent at least, in Mulroney's Catholic education, first at St. Thomas College and later, at St. Francis Xavier University, both in Atlantic Canada.

There is a short passage in Memoirs in which Mulroney talks about Moses Coady, the priest who was a co-founder of St. FX's Coady International Institute, and his particular approach to Christian action back when CII was founded 80 years ago.

Coady Institute engages in world development education that will enable its graduates to work in non government relief and development agencies.

That mention rang a bell with me because my brother, Barry Mackey, who has spent a fair amount of his adult life in microcredit and other faith-based development work, mostly on the Indian sub-continent of Asia, took work at Coady in preparation for that activity.

Intriguingly, Mulroney, the former prime minister, accepts that he, himself, has been sometimes criticized for emphasizing the adjective more than the noun -- in other words, being more "progressive" than "conservative". And he speaks of the Coady influence in the following paragraphs on page 33-34:

St. FX was clearly left wing in its political orientation, an unsurprising fact given its roots. Dr. Moses Coady, founder of the Antigonish Movement, was largely responsible for this, although his philosophy was essentially non-political; rather, it was based squarely on the moral obligation we all had to assist the poor, here and abroad, and on his steely resolve that something practical be done to implement the vision.

The Antigonish Movement grew out of a social philosophy based on adult education and the co-operative movement, which held the view that by working together selflessly, better and more prosperous lives could be achieved for all.

. . . That influence stayed with me . . .

. . . The government I led placed Dr. Coady and his principles at the forefront of government policy and decision-making, from our quick response to the famine crisis in Ethiopia, to the forgiveness of African debt, to the fight against apartheid and so much more.

But his reference to this Catholic university being "clearly left wing" is, from this perspective, a bit of an over reach, as with his more "progressive" than "conservative" apologetic.

It is probably more than a truism to suggest that the gospel, whether in its Catholic or Protestant cloak, tends to move the whole of political discussion toward the right -- at least in terms of the linking of personal initiative with co-operative effort.

Mulroney's comments belie the continuing tension between those who want faith-based education to be important to the shaping of society and those who prefer a purge of such influences.

* * *

That brings us back to the current Ontario situation, where John Tory has been promising to break the province out of a system where public funding goes only to secular and Catholic 'public' schools. In so doing, it bypasses Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and other such faith-based elementary and secondary institutions.

Intriguingly, the mid-campaign polls show about three-quarters of Ontario voters being opposed to such funding. It appears that if Tory does not budge on this, it could cost him a shot at the Ontario premiership.

Ironically, his opponent is the present premier, whose family and himself were educated in the publicly-supported Catholic system in which his wife, Terri, is presently teaching.

As a non-Ontarian who has lived in the province for only 14 years of adulthood, I find support for faith-based schools of all types to be a no-brainer. It is already the situation in one form or another in six other provinces. In the remainder, the official stance is to be equally non-forthcoming to any faith-based schools.

There is so often a social dichotomy on this issue. Some supporters of faith-based schools would wish for no support because they believe that it always comes with the price of secular state control in the teaching of values. And others point to the United Nations, of all groups, as suggesting that Ontario violates the UN human rights code by supporting some faith-based schools and not others.

* * *

The question, at the moment, will be whether Tory can extricate himself, in a principled way, from what he has promised to the Ontario voters.

Do not be surprised if that extrication comes in the form of something that says he recognizes that Ontarians are not yet ready to talk about fairness in school funding.

In so doing, he could draw on the kinds of things being done successfully in various countries, to develop a fairly comprehensive program of comparative religion education in public school settings.

Granted, the introduction of comparative religion programs carries with it the possibility of building momentum for eliminating of public support for specifically-Catholic schools. But that is all part of adapting 140-year-old constitutional issues to the contemporary community, which tries to balance faith values, human rights and a civil society in a way that will get more complex before it grows easier.

In some ways, the arguments in favour of a comparative religions approach line up with those relating to renewal of the health care system, bringing the best practices of various nations to the principled blending of private and public health care funding. The difference is that health care -- at least in the federal sector -- comes under the Canada Health Act. Public support of education is pretty much a provincial and municipal thing.

After October 10, things will undoubtedly be a little clearer, much to the disappointment of one group or another.

Until then, I hope there will be opportunity for Ontario voters to think through the best way of handling this 'no brainer.'

* * *

Lloyd Mackey is a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa and author of Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance (ECW Press, 2006). He can be reached at lmackey@canadianchristianity.com.

Related stories:

John Tory puts faith in school religion
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Toronto Star, July 24

Funding faith-based schools 'a bad idea,' minister says
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives' plan to provide funding to private religious schools would drain about $500-million a year from the province's public schools, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said yesterday. "He's going down the wrong road," she told reporters. "It's a bad idea."
Globe and Mail, July 24

McGuinty pounces on Tory's proposal
Funding of faith-based schools would 'segregate' students, take money from system, premier says
Toronto Star, July 25

School funding becoming defining issue
Funding for religious schools is shaping up as one of the defining issues in the provincial election campaign. And in taking opposite positions on the issue, both the Liberals and the Conservatives believe it will play to their advantage in the Oct. 10 election.
Ian Urquhart, Toronto Star, July 25

God save our schools
I know a little about faith-based schools. I used to go to one. We started off each day at chapel, where someone read from Scripture. One year, I even won the Scripture prize. By then, I'd decided God didn't exist, so I guess it didn't take. The funding of religious schools is emerging as the one (and so far the only) hot issue in the run-up to Ontario's fall election.
Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, July 25

Tory's misstep on religious schools
It is telling that John Tory, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader, has pledged to appoint former premier Bill Davis to head a panel examining the expansion of religious school funding in the province. Twenty-three years ago, in Mr. Davis's final term, he made perhaps the most dubious decision of an otherwise distinguished career by extending public funding for Catholic schools - previously provided only through Grade 10 - to the end of high school. Now, Mr. Tory is proposing to correct that mistake by making an even larger one.
Editorial, Globe and Mail, July 25

Funding religious schools is bad policy
While the status quo may be flawed, providing more government funding to religious schools would only make matters worse. Such a plan would further ghettoize religious communities -- especially the Muslim community, which is already quite insular. Conservative Muslims may support Mr. Tory's plan, and downplay differences between Islamic and Canadian values in an attempt to win support for public funding. But step into their schools, and you may be shocked at what they're teaching.
Farzana Hassan and Salma Siddiqui, National Post, August 9

Families caught in religious schools funding controversy
Faith-based funding could be wedge issue in Oct. 10 election
Toronto Star, August 11

Premier rejects Tory's all-faith funding plan
Issue of financing religious schools marks clear difference between Liberals, Conservatives
Toronto Star, August 21

McGuinty dismisses calls to extend funding to non-Catholic religious schools
Premier Dalton McGuinty warns a Conservative plan to fund non-Catholic religious schools in Ontario could lead to social unrest. McGuinty says he wants to "grab Ontarians by the earlobes" and make them understand the importance of the public education debate in the upcoming election campaign.
Canadian Press, August 22

Public funding of religious schools shaping up to be key Ont. election issue
With public funding of religious schools shaping up to be a "defining issue" in Ontario's upcoming election campaign, Premier Dalton McGuinty warned Wednesday that an Opposition plan to fund non-Catholic religious schools would seperate rather than unite people of diverse backgrounds. Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory has said if he's elected premier he will extend public funding to Jewish, Muslim and Christian schools in Ontario that agree to follow the provincial curriculum, calling it a matter of fairness. At the same time, the Ontario Green Party is campaigning on a proposal to end public funding of Roman Catholic schools, a practice that has been condemned by the United Nations as discriminating against other religions.
Canadian Press, August 22
Also: Canadian Press

School boards chief quits to run for Liberals
The head of the Ontario school boards' association will resign today to run for the Liberals because he is so opposed to John Tory's proposal to publicly fund religious schools. Rick Johnson said that as president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, he's had to remain impartial "but in light of changes the Conservatives are proposing for public education" he no longer can.
Toronto Star, August 22

Classroom Controversies
Faith-based schools idea backward: McGuinty; Tory's pledge seized as an election issue
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Religious-school funding to be a 'defining issue'
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.
Globe and Mail, August 23

School funding a key issue: McGuinty
Tory vow of tax dollars for faith-based schools will 'define' election
Toronto Star, August 23

Religious school cost too high: Minister
Tory's proposal to fund all faith schools would cost $500M: Wynne
Toronto Star, August 24

Modernism isn't written in stone
Lately the separation issue has appeared in Ontario. Not long ago, the provincial Liberal government discussed embracing Islamic Shariah law as part of the province's legal system. Now John Tory, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader, argues for funding many forms of religious schools. Tax money for Roman Catholic education being embedded in the Canadian tradition, Tory and many others consider it only fair that other religious schools also get support. They explain that Ontario will maintain standards by supervising the various religious-school curricula. Have they any idea of the theological and bureaucratic nightmares they are inviting? We'll need armies of officials to negotiate with those who say they want support -- Hindus, Copts, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Protestants. Which of the many Protestant sects will be supported? Which Muslims? Which Jews? Those religions will inevitably become deeply involved in provincial politics --and politicians will find themselves in religious disputes.
Robert Fulford, National Post, August 25

McGuinty is a child of the times
Who says Ontario's Liberals oppose a faith-based school system? They certainly don't, as long as the faith on which it's based is Ontario's official religion. Ontario doesn't have an official religion, you say? Please! It's a deep and abiding faith, called State-sponsored Non-denominational Multiculturalism. Think of it as SNM for short.
George Jonas, National Post, August 25

Delusionists
In his book, Dawkins himself equates the teaching of religious beliefs to children with child abuse. Them's fightin' words if you ever heard any, and yet except for their candour they represent what is increasingly the received view of our governmental bureaucracies and our courts. The Catholic apostate Dalton McGuinty, who is also the premier of our province, did not hesitate this week to describe any kind of "faith-based" schooling as "backward"; and when it is working (for it has crashed at the moment), my email inbox is often full of reports of the unsubtle difficulties put in the way of e.g. religious parents trying to home-school their kids.
David Warren, Ottawa Citizen, August 25

Jewish leader decries McGuinty's 'about-face'
Dalton McGuinty has betrayed Ontario Jews who believed the Liberal Premier was in favour of funding their faith-based schools, says Bernie Farber, chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Mr. Farber said yesterday he was floored to hear Mr. McGuinty attack faith-based schools as segregationist and harmful to Ontario's "social cohesion" last week. Those comments represent a complete departure from Mr. McGuinty's earlier statements on the issue, Mr. Farber said.
National Post, August 29

It's a matter of fairness
It is no secret that I am a friend of the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty. For a long time, he has been my MPP and a neighbour. He is a man who cares, is conscientious, devoted to his family and community and I was privileged to deliver the invocation at his installation as premier in 2003. But the Dalton McGuinty I'm hearing on the news today is not the Dalton Mc-Guinty I know. I have a long-standing difference of opinion with the Premier on the issue of government funding for faith-based schools. It is simply not fair that Catholics, and only Catholics, receive provincial funding for their schools in Ontario.
Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka, National Post, August 29

Tory puts his faith in religious schools issue
The Ontario election campaign hasn't officially started yet, but it already has an issue that is drenched in controversy and so volatile that only the foolhardy are predicting which political party can exploit it.
Murray Campbell, Globe and Mail, August 30

Jewish group launches campaign for school funding
The Canadian Jewish Congress launched a television, radio and Internet ad campaign yesterday calling on the Ontario government to extend funding to all religious schools, saying that otherwise they are being unfairly "shut out" of the public education system. As the leaders of the three main political parties campaigned on education issues on the first day of school yesterday, the CJC ad said that 53,000 students attending private faith-based schools are being excluded even as the province funds 650,000 children in the Catholic system. "That's just unfair. Let's include all faith-based schools in public education. Let's replace fear with fairness," said the ad, which features children in a classroom.
Globe and Mail, September 5

Creationism raised as Ont. election issue
Publicly-funded religious schools would be allowed to teach creationism and other theories, says Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory. Speaking to reporters at the a Jewish day school in Thornhill, Ont., on Wednesday, Mr. Tory defended his plan to bring Jewish, Islamic and other religious schools into the public education system.
Globe and Mail, September 5

On eve of Ontario election, Conservative leader muses about creationism in schools
The governing Liberals quickly jumped on Tory's remarks, calling it a "violation" of the Ontario curriculum - which already teaches evolution - for creationism to be taught outside the context of a religion class. Creationism isn't included in any Canadian provincial science curriculum and has been banned outright in British Columbia.
Canadian Press, September 5

Continue article >>

McGuinty's indefensible stance on schools
Hypocrisy, in Catholic doctrine, would surely count as a venial, rather than a mortal sin. So if all that could be said of Dalton McGuinty's stated opposition to public funding of religious schools was that it was hypocritical -- if one were confined to pointing out that he himself attended Catholic school, that his children did likewise, and that his wife teaches in the Catholic school system -- that would be galling, but not sufficient in itself to condemn it. A thing can be hypocritical, and still be right. He might even be arguing against his own self-interest, which far from hypocritical, would be admirably public-minded. Catholic schools in Ontario are, after all, publicly funded -- the only faith to be thus favoured. If the Premier were so convinced of the evils of public funding of religious schools -- if, as he was saying the other day, it amounted to encouraging "children of different faiths to leave the publicly funded system and become sequestered and segregated in their own private schools" -- if he were so dedicated to the principle of separation of church and state as to demand that public funds be withdrawn from Catholic schools, then we should only applaud the sincerity of his conviction, the consistency of his position, and the rigour of his analysis. But Mr. McGuinty is not saying that. Rather, the position he is attempting to defend is that public funding should be available to schools professing the Catholic faith, and no other.
Andrew Coyne, National Post, September 5

Doing right by Ontario's students
Its hard to remember just how different things in our publicly funded schools were just four short years ago, under the previous Conservative government. Teacher morale was low -- and strikes and walkouts cost our kids some 26 million lost learning days. Extracurricular activities were slashed, budgets were cut and student performance was down, too. Now, just four short years later, things are better. . . . And yet, just as our schools have finally started to turn the corner, the Conservatives want to take $500-million out of public education and divert it to private religious schools. If the Conservatives are allowed to carry out this scheme, it could spell disaster -- again -- for the schools that over 95% of Ontario families depend upon to provide an excellent education for their kids.
Kathleen Wynne, National Post, September 5

John Tory backpedals on creationism
Christian private schools should be allowed to teach creationism if they receive public funding, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said yesterday. But six hours later, he went into damage-control mode, saying creationism should be explored only in religion class and not elsewhere in the curriculum, such as in science class.
Globe and Mail, September 6

Faith-based funding creates controversy
The Ontario election campaign has not yet officially begun and already Conservative leader John Tory is facing tough questions on his proposal to extend public funding to faith-based schools. On the campaign trail yesterday morning, Mr. Tory was questioned on whether his plan would allow schools to teach creationism. Mr. Tory answered carefully, saying any school that receives government money would be required to teach the provincial curriculum, but could mention other views as well.
National Post, September 6

Tory gets 'F' for faith-funding idea
John Tory is such an ideal leader it's hard to understand why we don't send pink slips to the gang that's been running Queen's Park and simply appoint him premier so Ontario can get on with its God-given task of being the most wonderful province anybody ever dreamed of. What's stopping us? What's stopping us is that there's something odd about him. . . . Dalton McGuinty and his drooping-drawered Liberals should have been easy pickings. As a government that failed to stand up for the things it stood for, it stands alone. A substantial (that is, non-wack) contender should have had to do nothing more to beat them senseless than list their broken promises. But then out popped faith-based education.
Joey Slinger, Toronto Star, September 6

Catholics need not apologize
Like most parish priests this first week back I was over at the local Catholic school, welcoming everyone, blessing the students and teachers, wishing them well for the new year just begun. Does that constitute something unfair? Are my ministrations a threat to the common good of society? Is that something that should be stopped in Ontario?
Fr. Raymond J. De Souza, National Post, September 6

Jonathan Kay on the disgraceful smearing of John Tory
We have seen this before. In 2000, the federal Liberals successfully lampooned Stockwell Day after the Canadian Alliance leader mused about his creationist beliefs. And in 2004, Paul Martin based his election campaign on bizarre claims that Stephen Harper was a religious social conservative who would destroy cherished rights and threaten Canada's secular character. Having thus been conditioned to treat every mention of Christian faith as an explosive blunder, the media is now giving John Tory the same treatment -- notwithstanding the reasonableness of what the man actually said.
Jonathan Kay, Full Comment, September 6

Tory's tumble
The important point is that Mr. Tory would not endow his minority faith schools with any rights that Catholics don't already enjoy. And indeed, those who believe every Ontario student should receive the benefit of the provincial curriculum have good reasons to support paying private schools to accept closer secular oversight. Which leaves only one tiny thing unclarified: what Tory meant when he blurted out "It's still called the theory of evolution" as the first part of his answer to the reporter's question. His handlers can do all the damage-control they want, but they can't bury or whitewash that one.
Colby Cosh, National Post, September 7

The hypocrisy of McGuinty's Liberals
Predictably, Dalton McGuinty's henchmen have seized on the religious-school funding issue to recreate Jean Chretien's anti-creationist propaganda campaign against Stockwell Day in the 2000 election campaign. Yesterday, Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne did her best chicken-little routine, falsely implying that John Tory's proposal to fund Ontario's private religious schools would lead to the elimination of the accepted science curriculum. Given that Premier McGuinty and co. intend to continue funding Catholic schools, this election tactic is hypocritical and crass.
David Asper, National Post, September 7

Liberals, Tories aim for weak spots as campaign nears
The Liberals and Tories took aim at each other's Achilles heel Saturday, cementing Ontario's controversial health-care tax and public funding for religious schools as dominant issues leading up to an election campaign that won't officially begin until Monday.
Canadian Press, September 8

Tory takes a leap of faith
For John Tory, there was a seductive appeal to campaigning on a promise to publicly fund the province's religious schools. Not only did the Ontario Opposition Leader feel strongly about the matter, it had the added bonus of distinguishing him from his archrival, Premier Dalton McGuinty. He could present voters with a clear alternative to a leader whose policies were similar in other areas to his own. . . . Mr. Tory knows firsthand that religion is a deeply divisive subject in Ontario. The 53-year-old grew up in the corridors of provincial power. As a teenager, he was president of the Young Progressive Conservatives and in the early 1980s he served as principal secretary to former premier Bill Davis. The party's downfall in 1985 after 42 years in office was blamed on Mr. Davis's promise to provide full funding to Catholic schools.
Globe and Mail, September 8

How Bill Davis came to see the light
Reviving the debate over putting public money into religious schools will certainly open old wounds. In 1984, premier Bill Davis spent a good deal of his remaining political capital to extend full funding to Catholic high schools before retiring to the domesticity of Brampton, Ont. It was one of the more perplexing turnarounds in provincial history. Even Cardinal G. Emmett Carter had not expected such a spectacular victory. And some have argued that the decision Mr. Davis sprung on most of his cabinet and all of his caucus eventually resulted in the Tories' fall from power, ending an unprecedented 43-year reign. . . . The decision made by Mr. Davis is a central factor in the current debate, but the full story of just what happened has never been a matter of public record.
Globe and Mail, September 8

Smitherman slams Tory's handling of religious schools funding issue
Minister says price tag for plan is $100M higher than PC leader promises
Toronto Star, September 9

Liberal lead over Tories slipping in Ontario: poll
The Liberal lead over the Progressive Conservatives has dipped to five points even as a majority of voters oppose John Tory's plan for faith-based funding, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll released as the Ontario election campaign officially begins today.
CanWest News Service, September 10

My vision for Ontario's schools
When Ontario votes on Oct. 10, I want my fellow citizens to know this: We're putting education at the centre of our campaign. We are going to fight for public education. I am proud of our record and we're getting results, but there's lot's more to be done. I think it's especially important in this election that Ontarians understand what is at stake.
Dalton McGuinty, National Post, September 10

Proposal to fund religious schools dogs Tory; McGuinty vows no new taxes (again)
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory's plan to fund private faith-based schools drew tepid support from even his own supporters Tuesday as a new poll suggested he faces an even steeper uphill climb to defeat Ontario's governing Liberals. If there was a silver lining in Tory's day, it was the sight of his principal rival, Premier Dalton McGuinty, awkwardly repeating a promise he made - and broke - four years ago Tuesday: no new taxes or tax increases.
Canadian Press, September 11

McGuinty staking future on religious school stance
Premier Dalton McGuinty has clearly staked his government's future on a single issue -- opposition to public funding for religious schools. In a series of speeches, press conferences and ads in the past 48 hours, McGuinty stated that public education is "threatened" by Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory's proposal to extend funding beyond just the Catholic system to all "faith-based" schools.
Ian Urquhart, Toronto Star, September 11

John Tory's hornet's nest
For John Tory, the man who wants to be premier of Ontario, the news on the doorsteps isn't good. Nobody wants to talk about the health tax, leadership or the economy. Instead, it's all about religious schools. Most people are flatly opposed to Mr. Tory's promise to fund more of them. Tempers run highest in Toronto, where the Conservative candidate is hoping for a breakthrough. Raise the issue at any dinner party, and watch everyone start yelling. "I can't understand why he made it an issue," say more Tory supporters than I can count.
Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, September 11

John Tory's problem: too much rubber chicken
I am talking here of the rubber chicken dinners every politician attends in hopes of securing endorsements from this or that civic group. A generation ago, this meant going to the Rotary Club, or a local church. But times have changed in multicultural Ontario. And the hottest rubber-chicken gigs are now splashy dinners hosted by ethnic and religious groups in grand hotel ballrooms. . . . I'm betting that Tory hatched on his school-funding idea sometime between the chicken and the dessert -- when he was shaking hands with a steady stream of parents, each of whom trotted up to the head table to tell Tory why the state should pay for his kids' religious education. In a private session after the event, community leaders gave Tory the same message. "This is what our base wants," they told him. "This issue will guide how our people vote."
Jonathan Kay, National Post, September 11

Broken promises in Canada aren't necessarily fatal
Dalton McGuinty, meet Jesus Christ. You have something in common, apparently, though it has nothing to do with faith-based school funding and, most assuredly, nothing to do with walking on water - no matter what time of the year an Ontario provincial election might be held. No, it's all about broken promises.
Roy MacGregor, Globe and Mail, September 11

Tory cuts medical students a break
Mr. Tory said it might have been a mistake to enshrine support for Catholic schools in the BNA act, but that those schools have proven to be successful. He said he wants to offer the same benefits to other religious minorities.
Globe and Mail, September 12

McGuinty's critics seize on school selection
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who has been accused of hypocrisy because of his position on faith-based schools, literally sidestepped the issue yesterday -- ignoring his Catholic alma matter in favour of a secular public school two doors down.
CanWest News Service, September 12

Tory vows to stick by controversial schools plan
Polls show most Ontarians oppose Conservative pledge to extend funding to private religious education
Globe and Mail, September 13

Tory's school pledge distracting voters: Runciman
A Progressive Conservative plan to fund faith-based schools is letting Premier Dalton McGuinty off the hook by distracting voters from the egregious promise-breaking record of the governing Liberals, a veteran member of the Conservative caucus said today. "It's not playing well," Bob Runciman, a cabinet minister under former premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, said of Conservative Leader John Tory's vow to bring private religious schools under the public funding umbrella.
Canadian Press, September 13

Ex-Harris minister sees peril for Tory on schools
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory's policy on funding religious schools may well cost him the Ontario election, says a former provincial Conservative cabinet minister. Dianne Cunningham, who was colleges and universities minister in the former Mike Harris government, told the Star yesterday that Tory's $400 million promise to provide public funding to faith-based schools is a "very controversial" proposal.
Toronto Star, September 13

The issues may not matter
For using public money to fund parochial schools is silly. Funding several religions is more equitable than funding only one, but not a whit smarter. You don't get from silly to smart by multiplication. The formula isn't S(illy) x3 = S(mart.) If funding Catholic schools is silly, extending funding to Jewish and Muslim schools makes it silly cubed.
George Jonas, CanWest News Service, September 13

Betrayal is the deepest cut
On Sunday night in the course of his long interview with Brian Mulroney, CTV anchorman Lloyd Robertson referred to the betrayal of the former prime minister by Lucien Bouchard as "almost Shakespearian." While the Mulroney-Bouchard relationship was certainly dramatic, perhaps the analogy should have been reversed, as the theme of betrayal is one that dominates Quebec politics, whatever the case may have been in Elizabethan England.
Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, September 13

Make room for the spiritual in educating our young
In Grade 1, I used to sing God Save the Queen every morning at my Montreal public school. I would also stand in silence while the class recited the Lord's Prayer. We rounded off our morning routine with an off-key yet heartfelt rendition of O Canada. Later on, I transferred to another public school where we sang O Canada only. I quickly forgot about praying for the Queen. Yet I sorely missed beginning my day reflecting upon the majesty of God. In Grade 1, I didn't pray to Jesus (he is regarded as a prophet in Islam) but to God alone. It had been a perfect way to start the day, in peace and humility. In 2007, the only way to recite communal prayers in Ontario schools is to enroll in faith-based education, which currently receives no government funding -- unless you're Catholic.
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, September 14

Liberals get what they want: Schools as vital issue
The Liberal effort to make the future of public education a central issue in the Ontario election campaign appears to be resonating with voters. According to a new Ipsos Reid poll, done exclusively for CanWest News Service and Global Television, 43 per cent of Ontarians say education and funding faith-based schools is one of the three top issues motivating them to vote on Oct. 10. Nearly one in four say it is the primary issue for them.
Ottawa Citizen, September 15

Minister snubs money woes, focuses on faith-based schools
Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman came to Ottawa yesterday to continue the Liberal attacks on Progressive Conservative leader John Tory over his policy of funding independent schools.
Ottawa Citizen, September 15

Newfoundland offers religious school lessons
The intense animosity between people of different faiths was bound to spill on to the ice. Parents, fans, they all encouraged it among the hockey players at school. Such was the violence of Newfoundland winters. "The hockey matches between Protestants and Catholics in Grand Falls where I grew up were legendary," remembers former premier Roger Grimes. "These were wars on ice, and designed to be so. One of the highlights of the winter was to see the bloodbath." It was a grim fact of life in that province under its historically sectarian education system in which the churches ran the schools with money from the public purse. Besides the rivalries, students and neighbours were divided along religious lines, often driven on half-empty buses across town to schools that were homogenous but under serviced. By the 1990s, the tensions had eased, but the economic burden of too many groups operating too many schools remained. That is, until a dramatic and complex political move uncoupled schools from the churches, turning the education of Newfoundland youngsters on its head, from one that was entirely denominational, to one that entirely was not. Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory now wants to do precisely the opposite in this province, extending public funding to all religious schools -- provided they follow the provincial curriculum -- if he's elected next month.
Toronto Star, September 16

Ont. school cash crunch the real issue, not religious school funding: Hampton
New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton strained to be heard over the faith-based education debate raging between his rivals Monday as he urged Ontario voters to focus instead on the more pressing cash crunch facing the province's public schools.
Canadian Press, September 17

Ontario leaders spar over religious education
Leaders of the two main parties sparred Monday over money for religious schooling, with the New Democrats complaining that the issue had diverted attention from under-funded public schools.
Globe and Mail, September 17

Faith-based funding a threat: McGuinty
Standing in a Catholic high school auditorium, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty vowed to protect the publicly funded education system that he said would be "under threat" if money is diverted to fund other faith-based schools.
National Post, September 18

Tory stands firm on religious-school funding
Despite its unpopularity among voters, and against advice of pundits and pollsters, Conservative Leader keeps issue in spotlight
Globe and Mail, September 18

Voters reject faith-based education as McGuinty on course for minority, poll finds
A furor over John Tory's unpopular proposal to fund faith-based schools does not appear to have altered the fundamental dynamics of the Ontario election campaign, a new poll shows.
Globe and Mail, September 18

Tories ponder how to shift focus off religious schools
If not for his proposal to extend public funding to religious schools, Ontario Progressive Conservative John Tory might be defending a lead in the polls right now instead of struggling to catch up.
James Cowan, National Post, September 19

September 20/2007