David Asper: The hypocrisy of McGuinty's Liberals

[Aaliyyah]

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.

 

Mr. McGuinty himself is a product of Ontario's publicly funded Catholic religious school system. Yet the Liberal Premier now claims that if such funding were extended to other faiths, segregation and fallacious interpretations of how the world came into existence would result. Such intellectual dishonesty suggest that he was not hypnotized by his own religious education: The ninth Biblical commandment forbids the bearing of false witness.

 

John Tory, his Conservative opponent, has made it very clear that qualifying religious schools would have to conform to the provincial education curriculum. Nowhere in his policy is there any suggestion that the provincial curriculum as a whole would be changed into something that is non-secular.

 

What I find most strange about the whole affair is not the blatant dishonesty and overblown Liberal rhetoric on the schools issue, but the fact that the Premier and his team are actually making themselves the real focus in the provincial campaign.

 

Real leadership means saying what you mean, and believing it. Many will disagree with Mr. Tory's position on public funding for qualifying religious schools, as he was surely aware when he first declared his position. He knew it would be controversial, but is prepared to stand by his view and provide a cogent rationale for it. This is a good example of leadership.

 

It stands in stark contrast with that of Mr. Mc-Guinty, who has previously admitted that there is inequity in funding a Catholic school system to the exclusion of other religious schools. If the Premier really believes in what he said, then he would either be agreeing with Mr. Tory -- or he would be arguing that no religious schools should be funded. Instead, Mr. McGuinty has chosen to abandon his stated views, and is allowing his campaign to spout extreme rhetoric aimed at smearing his opponents. In so doing, he and his clan have responded to a legitimate issue of public policy in a way reminiscent of schoolyard loudmouths shouting epithets. This is not leadership.

 

By attempting to demonize Mr. Tory, Mr. Mc-Guinty's team is trying to distract voters from the broken promises made in the last election. Or perhaps it is trying to hide the fact that he still hasn't told the electorate how he intends to help Ontario -- whose economy is still heavily dependent on manufacturing -- deal with increasingly intense global pressures.

 

In the end, it is voters in Ontario who will deliver the only verdict that counts. But thus far, it looks like there is a fundamental difference between Ontario's two main party leaders. On policy matters, Mr. Tory is telling it as he sees while Mr. McGuinty is resorting to a time-honoured Liberal tradition of crass political opportunism and fearmongering.

 

The Premier is living proof that graduates of the religious school system can be very secular.

 

-David Asper is chairman of the National Post.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

You are quoting an article by the owner of right-wing, tabloid-like, pro-neo-con National Post paper? Of course, he is mad. He wants the funds extended to private Jewish schools as well.

 

John Tory may support the public funding extended to private schools, however also know where he will get those funds from. Probably from those funds reserved for the healthcare or public schools. It is no brainer once the funds are extended to private schools, the public schools will suffer.

 

Tory also wants to cut the Ontario health premium tax. Tory and his Tory, conservative party is no friend of the working-poor, new immigrants and other non-affluent people -- in a word, to Soomaalis.

[Aaliyyah]

You are quoting an article by the owner of right-wing, tabloid-like, pro-neo-con National Post paper? Of course, he is mad. He wants the funds extended to private Jewish schools as well.

Jewish schools are one of the many religious schools, and it is only fair that they should get funded as well. However, this does not limit to Jewish schools, Islamic schools that many Somali kids attend will also immensely benefit from being funded by the government.

 

Somalis are working poor, they would benefit most by sending their child to a Islamic school without paying any tuition compare to many rich Jewish families who already send their children to private schools and have the means to do so.

 

He is not the only one who is mad, all religious non-catholic parents are mad because they don’t have the same rights as catholic parents

 

 

Mr. McGuinty himself and his children graduated from publicly funded catholic schools, the wife also works for a public catholic school, so its hypocrisy for someone like McGuinty to oppose the expansion of public education system to include the faith schools of minority religions.

 

 

John Tory may support the public funding extended to private schools

It’s a well-known fact, The platform of McGuinty liberals and Tory conservative are very similar and identical, the only difference is Mr. Tory’s plan to extend public funding to minority faith based schools following the publicly funded catholic model, and Mr. McGuinty’s Ontario health premium tax, besides McGuinty promised that he will not increase tax if he is elected in last election, Mr. McGuinty is just hypocritic, dishonest.

 

 

however also know where he will get those funds from. Probably from those funds reserved for the healthcare or public schools. It is no brainer once the funds are extended to private schools, the public schools will suffer.

The issue is not money; minority faith-based schools will receive funds from government in same manner as catholic schools.

 

The secular and catholic schools get paid per student per year formula. For example, if the parents of students of minority faith based schools decide today to transfer their children from muslim/Jewish/sikh schools to publicly funded catholic and secular schools, the government will find a way to accommodate these students. Also, its in the constitution that the government is forced to provide free education to all children regardless. Therefore, it is obvious that the issues is more of ideological and racism than funds. Its mind-boggling that the government has 6 billion of tax dollars to pay the cost of 700,000 students who go to catholic schools, and cannot afford to half-billion dollars to pay for 53,000 students who attend minority faith-based schools (like Muslim Jewish, hindus, sikh etc)

Muslims particularly Somali community will benefit most from Tory’ proposal, it will allow for parents to send their children to publicly funded Islamic school free of charge.

 

Catholic parents already send their children to publicly funded catholic schools, and Jewish parents are well off and they can afford to send their children to faith based schools. In other words, it’s the Somalis parents who currently have no alternative to secular schools

 

For example, in Ontario there is about 500,000 Muslims and there are only 37 islamic schools. where there is only 200,000 jewish population (less than half of the Muslim population) with 43 Jewish schools

 

 

Already 7 Canadian provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec etc fund all faith based schools, if Majority of Canadian provinces can do it, why not Ontario? Ontario’s education system fully funds catholic and secular schools and NOT Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh etc is discriminatory, outdated, and against all the principles of democracy

 

 

Therefore the issue is about fairness entirely.

[Aaliyyah]

The Following article is written by a Muslim journalist.

 

Faith-based revelation: I was a second-class student in Ontario

OMAR SOLIMAN

 

Special to Globe and Mail Update

 

September 11, 2007 at 12:10 AM EDT

 

Once again, religion has entered the fray of Ontario politics. And, once again, the same old players are hard at work fanning the flames of hatred, division and religious intolerance.

 

Behind some of the silly reasons to oppose John Tory's proposal for funding faith-based schools is the Ontario Liberal Party's principal setback in the current election campaign: No leader in Progressive Conservative Party history has had a better relationship with Ontario's ethnic communities — a legacy of Mr. Tory's Toronto mayoralty bid.

 

Somehow, though, it has become perfectly acceptable in Ontario to lobby for the women's vote in Sarnia, the seniors' vote in Whitby and the students' vote in Kingston — but not the Muslim vote in Mississauga or the Sikh vote in Brampton.

 

Canadians witnessed this most recently during the 2006 federal Liberal leadership convention, when Liberal candidates were criticized for trying to attract Tamil and Muslim delegates. The Muslim Canadian Congress, a group with a secular bent run by a handful of "postmodern" Muslims, accused these Liberal candidates of dividing the party into ethnic enclaves.

 

No one really has the guts to say it, but this presumption is a racist one. The Muslim or Sikh vote, like the women's or seniors' vote, is not monolithic. A functioning liberal democracy warrants that, within the confines of our laws, those who govern should articulate the attitudes and beliefs of the governed — irrespective of race, creed and so on.

 

For the past four years, however, Premier Dalton McGuinty has proved himself to be incapable of accommodating religious minorities as a fact of public policy. "There will be one law for all Ontarians," he said in his 2005 decision to ban religious arbitration for family disputes.

 

He has the support of misinformed secularists on the far left and narrow-minded traditionalists on the far right — all of whom are united in the belief that faith-based schools are bound to propagate medieval, Taliban-style beliefs.

 

Well, let me break it to you, folks. I went to an Islamic day school from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 in Mississauga. At this school, our books (many written in the 1980s) were largely torn and ripped apart. Our desks and chairs were an ergonomic nightmare. We had no student government because there was no money to fund activities. Our school library didn't have the liberty to purchase books; we simply collected outdated, unwanted novels from other schools.

 

True story: We played hockey on broken gravel for three years while waiting for some decent hockey nets; and when those didn't arrive, we set up a bake sale and bought the cheapest pair on sale from Canadian Tire.

 

And, no, we were never taught creationism. But I do remember writing an essay on the life and works of a Charles Darwin.

 

My parents were paying a lot of money. But let's face it: I spent the first 10 years of my education in a poor school with poor facilities and poorly compensated teachers.

 

I was a second-class student in Ontario.

 

Tell me, Mr. McGuinty, how do you create a "knowledge economy" that breeds "creativity" and "excellence" (your words) when you are unwilling to elevate the educational standards of 53,000 Ontario students who are receiving this same second-class education?

 

And yet, there was Deputy Premier George Smitherman suggesting that, because it would cost an extra $100- million, funding for these students is not warranted. This, from the same minister whose response to the ailments of our health system was to increase its budget by $11-billion since 2003. During Mr. McGuinty's time in office, public education funding rose from $9.4 billion in 2003 to $12.8 billion in 2007. So don't tell me the money doesn't exist.

 

Still, some Liberals will continue to make the very conservative argument that, on balance, all social policy is somehow inherently or deliberately exclusive.

 

When Mr. McGuinty says funding religious private schools is tantamount to "segregation," I first try to ignore the irony that this word invokes. And then I turn to my Muslim friends who graduated from my Islamic school and who are now in law, medicine, teaching, business and, yes, even our armed forces. I turn to my four brothers: two doctors, one lawyer and a future investment banker.

 

And then I wonder: Since when did it become too expensive or too dangerous to uphold equality? What happened to the idea of accommodating or celebrating diversity?

 

Omar Soliman, a former provincial Tory, is a graduate student at Columbia University's School of Journalism.

[Aaliyyah]

Today’s debate between the three party leaders was interesting. Personally, John Tory was the most convincing candidate, being both concise and consistent. Qualities liberals certainly lack.

 

The most important concern for me as an individual who finds public schools to lack discipline and basic conduct is funding all religious schools; I want all religious parents to have the same rights as Catholic parents .Specially Somali parents, I want them to be able to send their child to Islamic schools if they choose to, without worrying about paying a tuition. I don’t want them to send their children to public schools simply because they lack other alternatives.

 

McGunity was insecure, he spent most of his time playing the imaginary fear card or blaming previous NDP of early 1990s or the conservative government of 1995-2003, McGuinty demonstrated that he is not leader who could assume leadership. what McGuinty should know if he is smart is all that matters on October 10,2007 is the record of his government, people of Ontario have already passed judgment on NDP government on 1995, and conservative government on 2003, so its better for him to simply defend his record, if there is any record to defend.

 

 

That being said, some might strangely agree with Mr. Mcguinty the catholic school graduate himself and state how religious schools are threatening our integration and unity. Is this not a blatant inconsistency?

 

As for the health care aspect, I have heard what Tory has to say about it. So whoever thinks Tory is against public health care and promoting private health was certainly misinformed. In the debate Tory stated how public health care will still operate, we will still have access to public health care. However, he would give us the option of going to private health care if the need arises. Let’s keep in mind, one would go to private health care still using OHIP (the government will still cover your health care expenses), so for us Canadians it shouldn’t make a difference. In some cases hospitals have long waitlists, for example instead of waiting three years for a critical and yet a simple operation, one would have the option of going to private health care with no extra cost. So, if private health care will provide Canadians with better health care, why should we object to it?? And those who object to this proposal can simply carry on going to public sectors and wait as long as it takes, maybe three years or more.

 

Kathleen Wynne the liberal education minister have supported the funding of faith based school in the past, in 2001, she urged in an interview that her party leader McGuinty should consider seriously funding faith based schools to address the unfairness issue between catholic and other faith based schools. But, stated differently today in a debate between all the candidates, stating that faith based schools are threat to our unity.

 

Liberals are not worthy of our votes Ontarions, Dalton MCguinty broke his promises a number of times and so did all his team members. Therefore, there is no need to trust him to run our province.

 

So let your vote count for something Ontarions…VOTE FOR KASSIM AS MPP IN ETOBICOOKE NORTH OR YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATIVE

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

You are going to vote the very party of Mike Harris, the one who probably created his ideology itself, because of single issue?

 

Do you have some siblings going to private schools? Most of us have or had nieces or nephews going to Islamic schools. But voting one that far-right, anti-immigrant for a single issue only -- that borders ridiculousness. Where do you honestly think John Tory will take the revenues from to enlarge private schools into public-like? Of course, it will drain from the healthcare, public school and other socially-funded programs.

 

John Tory is a millionaire, a spoon-fed rich man since he was born, from a wealthy family. He cares less about the plight of public schools since probably his children [if he has any] attend or attended private, poshy schools.

 

Max'ed Qaasin, the Soomaali Tory candidate, should have lobbied the NDP party to nominate him in Etobicoke North riding, which he might have had a chance to make a historical MP for Soomaaalis, instead of taking that opportunity of being Conservative candidate. Not many Soomaalis are going to vote a party of Mike Harris. That man wrecked the province of Ontario from late '90s to early '00s. Ontario has yet to recover to what he did to it.