Re: McGuinty agrees with me! Maybe I'm wrong ;-)

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Posted by Al Gordon on 15:21:13 2007/08/07

In Reply to: Re: Liberals always buy votes with our money and our security posted by Diane Winn in National Post

Your browser does not support inline frames, or it has been configured incorrectly. If page does not display on your browser, please <a href="http://bnaibrith.ca/article.php?id=1239">CLICK HERE</a>. Welcome To B'nai Brith - Articles 0&&parent.frames.length) { d=parent.frames[n.substring(p+1)].document; n=n.substring(0,p);} if(!(x=d[n])&&d.all) x=d.all[n]; for (i=0;!x&&i Articles Tory support for all Ontario students called segregationist by McGuinty Posted On 08/07/07 By: Atara Beck TORONTO – Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s attack against Opposition Leader John Tory’s plan for inclusive public education has heated up the debate surrounding the issue. It has become, for a significant number of people on both sides of the fence, the decisive factor on how they will vote in the provincial elections in October. During a recent telephone press conference, Tory reiterated his oft-repeated goal, which is to include the diverse faith-based schools under the umbrella of public education in order to reflect Ontario’s multicultural population, “to bring people in, to include them as part of a broader public education” and “reduce the separation.” During the same week, Premier Dalton McGuinty, regarding his refusal to consider funding faith-based schools, was quoted in a number of newspapers: “If they want to segregate children in classes according to their faith at home, then they can support Mr. Tory.” A few weeks ago, on Global TV’s Focus Ontario, hosted by Sean Mallen, Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said, “I have never advocated segregation, and segregated schools is exactly what the Conservative platform is advocating.” “The word ‘segregate’ is a politically loaded term that conjures up the ugly history of racism in the US. It is ironic and offensive to invoke the term ‘segration’ into a discussion on remedying human rights violations,” stated Frank Dimant, executive vice president, B’nai Brith Canada. To add fuel to the fire, on Aug. 1 the North York Mirror published a provocative cartoon by Steve Nease, in which the cartoonist depicted Tory as a political suicide bomber about to blow himself up because of his support for faith-based school funding. “This clearly touched a nerve for many, who were quick to call B’nai Brith Canada’s Anti-Hate Community Hotline to voice their concerns,” Dimant said. In a letter to the North York Mirror, the Jewish human rights organization characterized the cartoon as greatly disturbing in that the inherent suggestion that John Tory and those from Ontario’s religious and ethnic communities who support his leadership on the fair funding issue are somehow espousing ‘extremist’ or ‘fanatical’ beliefs.” “The cartoon has nothing to do with the reality of faith-based education,” declared Dr. Seymour Epstein, senior vice president of the Centre for Enhancement of Jewish Education, UJA Federation. “In every jurisdiction where it’s funded, there’s absolutely no evidence that government funding of faith-based schools leads to violence or sectarianism. The truth is the opposite; there would be more accountability to government. The cartoon is the antithesis of the great potential of faith-based schools.” Rabbi Yisroel Janowski, an active supporter of inclusive public education, made the following statement: “This cartoon depicting John Tory as a suicide bomber is most offensive. It exploits the same scaremongering tactics in use by Dalton McGuinty and his Liberals. They and the cartoon are accusing John Tory of encouraging extremism with his ‘inclusive’ plan. Quite the opposite! As things stand today, the province’s Ministry of Education does not oversee what is taught in faith-based schools, and there is no oversight as to what is going on in those schools. That would all change, of course, with Mr. Tory’s proposal, where faith-based schools would be included in the public school system. Provincial oversight would come into effect and all the faith-based schools would become answerable to the Ontario Ministry of Education. That is very different from the cartoon’s insinuation and the intentionally false and misleading statements coming from Mr. McGuinty and the Liberals.” Notwithstanding the vehement opposition to funding for religious schools, the McGuinty government still plans to support Catholic schools to the exclusion of all other faiths. Even opponents of inclusive public education have cited the unfairness of the status quo.

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Follow Ups:

Re: Hirsi Ali - Dutch tax-funded Muslim schools = Misogyny, Isolation, Violence - Julian Swann 08:05:11 2007/09/13 (2)
- Re: Muslim - NO tax funding of religious schools - Kaan Oran 08:08:12 2007/09/13 (1)
  - Re: A liberal believes that Silly x 3 = Smart - George Jonas in Ottawa Citizen 19:03:12 2007/09/13 (0)

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