Relax About the Funding
I find the commentary in this thread on Tory's proposal to fund religious schools alarmist in the extreme. Faith-based schools make up less than five percent of the student population in Ontario. Parents who feel strongly enough about their respective religions to have their children educated in a separate faith-based school will do so whether or not they are publicly funded, except perhaps parents who genuinely cannot afford to do so.
The Catholic school system isn't going anywhere soon, partly for historic reasons going back to the founding legislation of Ontario, and partly because the Catholic population is so high here. If Catholics are going to retain their separate system, then the right to have public funding should be extended to all faith-based schools for the sake of fairness and consistency. The United Nations has slammed Ontario for its inconsistency, and this wrong should be righted.
As a Catholic teacher in the secondary system, I can tell you that Catholicism
is taught in the Catholic system, and students of all religious backgrounds are warmly accepted and respected. Information is provided about all the major religions (and a lot of smaller religions) in grade 11 World Religions. I teach this course. Students are always encouraged to think for themselves and to question. Ideas have their own power of influence.
Having said all that, it is absolutely true that students are taught Christianity in Catholic schools throughout elementary and secondary. Students attending elementary are required to have a baptismal certificate from any Christian denomination, and yes, the teaching could be called "programming." I have no illusions that parents choose to have their children educated with their own values or lack thereof as they see fit. Think of all the hang ups parents pass on to their children regardless of the parents' orientation to religion. Many Catholics believe their values are important and that their children should be raised with them, just as many Jews, Muslims and atheists feel their children should be raised with values similar to their own.
It would be foolish to say that Catholic schools don't teach much religion. They do, and as a Catholic, I believe that they should. Otherwise, what would be the point of having them? I know many people from other faiths feel just as strongly about their own schools. So you see, if you try do dismantle the Catholic system, you will have guys like me to contend with. Scary, huh?
And there are millions of them in the province. If Catholic schools aren't going anywhere, shouldn't members of other faith-based schools be afforded the same public funding?
Finally, I want to say that I attended both a Catholic high school and a public high school, and I found the Catholic school more accepting of people of other religious backgrounds. I remember bringing a cleric of a Hindu sect into a World Religions class to do a presentation when I was a student at the public high school. He was treated by the administration as an embarassment. The principal was worried about him handing out information to students about Hinduism and corrupting them. He even shouted, "Get him off the property" in front of his face. It was quite disgusting.
I believe very strongly in religious freedom as one of the cornerstones of our constitution. I felt that when France brought in the law banning students from wearing all religious symbolism at school, this was an infringement on a human right. I also think it was a backdoor measure used to get at the high Muslim immigrant population, who are the religious group currently most identified by their dress. Xenophobia is not uncommon in France.
Also, only two provinces have gotten rid of their Catholic school systems: Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. In fact, British Columbia and Alberta publicly fund faith-based schools. There has not been a collapse in either education or the economy.
As long as Ontario teachers follow the curriculum, I don't know why we can't have the same funding solution here. I respect John Tory for taking a principled stance on an issue that clearly won't make for a windfall of votes at the ballot box.