May 15th Queen’s Park GPO leader Mike Schreiner is calling on the Liberal government to establish a public commission to explore merging the public and Catholic school boards. “The Liberals have a clear choice,” says Schreiner. “Prioritize high-quality education for all kids or protect the entrenched interests that want special funding for one religion at the exclusion of all others.”
With schools facing financial and social pressures, the GPO believes now is the time to engage public discussion on modernizing Ontario’s education system.
The GPO believes inaction is failing our kids. At a time when parents across the province are rallying to prevent school closures, the Toronto District School Board is considering cuts to cafeterias, educators, mental health professionals, and support staff. Further, Catholic Trustees are opposing student efforts to stop bullying with Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs. Ontario can no longer turn a blind eye to wasteful duplication that compromises quality education and fails to protect at-risk youth.
“The Green Party has the courage to confront social and financial realities,” says education critic and Parry Sound-Muskoka candidate Matt Richter. “Greens want to end expensive duplication and promote an equitable education system where every religion is respected, and no religion is privileged.”
Both Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador modernized their outdated denominational school systems in the 1990’s. The days of needing to publicly fund Catholic schools to protect a minority religion from discrimination or assimilation are long past.
The GPO believes there is no longer justification for maintaining a separate school system when we face cuts to essential services. The government has never studied the costs of a separate system. However, the Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods of Ontario estimates savings of $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion.
The GPO encourages Premier McGuinty to follow his own advice: “If we’re going to bring about more improvement in publicly-funded schools, it is regressive to contemplate segregating our children according to their faith,” McGuinty said. “I want our kids to continue coming together.”
The GPO supports a unified public education system with French and English school boards that prioritize helping all our diverse students meet their full potential.
For The Silo by Jaymini Bhikha (O) 416-977-7476 (C) 416-275-8573 jbhikha@gpo.ca
Green Party of Ontario PO Box 1132 Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8 Canada
June 14, 2012 SPRING SESSION SLAMS THE DOOR TO PUBLIC INPUT ON
MODERNIZING SCHOOLS, PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT
Queen’s Park – GPO leader Mike Schreiner accused the minority Liberal
government of slamming the door to public consultation on
environmental protections and a sensible solution to inefficiency and
inequity in our school system.
The Greens have called for a public commission to examine merging the
best of the Catholic and public education systems. Instead, the
political establishment at Queen’s Park refuses to even discuss the
issue.
“It’s wrong for the Liberal government to close the door in the face
of school boards, parents and students who want to talk about
modernizing our schools,” says GPO leader Mike Schreiner. “Our
Constitution is not a barrier to equality. We cannot accept the
Liberal’s plan to close schools and cut services while prohibiting a
conversation about merging the Catholic and public school boards.”
The GPO has also slammed the Liberal government for burying changes
to 69 acts, including eight environmentally significant laws affecting
the Ministry of Natural Resources, in the omnibus budget, Bill 55.
“Changes to environmental protections have no place in a budget
bill,” says Schreiner. “Solving a financial deficit by creating an
ecological one isn’t responsible management or good leadership. It’s
time for the Liberals to do the right thing and address changes to
environmental laws separately from the budget.”
The GPO is calling on the Liberals to remove changes to laws
prescribed under the Environmental Bill of Rights from Bill 55 before
final passage. Greens oppose using omnibus legislation to avoid the
mandatory 30-day public comment period.
“Omnibus bills are tools of governments that think their power is
more important than the people’s needs and the province’s priorities.
Muzzling public input undermines democracy and weakens transparency
and accountability,” says Schreiner. “Closed door politics lead
directly to scandals like ORNGE. The GPO will fight for more democracy
and accountability, not less.”
Jaymini Bhikha
(O) 416-977-7476
(C) 416-275-8573
jbhikha@gpo.ca
Green Party of Ontario
PO Box 1132
Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8
Canada