I've been researching and writing about John Tory's plan to fund faith-based education for a few weeks now.
I've spoken to Tory, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese, the principals of several religious schools in Mississauga, a few university professors/experts and the two chairs of the local school boards.
I have written stories that will hopefully appear in the paper nearer the election.
I started out hating Tory's plan. I thought it was going the wrong way, that the state should move further from the church, not nearer the church, and mosque, and gurdwara, etc.
To solve the problem of discrimination in our education system, I would rather see the Catholic school boards folded into the public school boards. Catholic schools are an anachronism, a throw-back to 1867, when their existence was guaranteed in the Constitution and when Catholics were a minority with a culture that needed to be protected (just as Protestants were in Quebec at the time).
Of course, to get rid of the Catholic boards, the province would have to propose an amendment to the Constitution. It would need to pass through the Ontario Legislature, then the House of Commons.
For such a controversial move as getting rid of the Catholic school boards, a party would need to run on the idea in an election, or hold a referendum. If a party ran on that, it would alienate a large chunk of the electorate and could cost the party the election.
I'm still against Tory's plan, but my respect for him has increased. He's trying to solve a problem, a problem that discriminates against all religious people but Catholics.
Both the Liberals (Wynne) and the NDP (Marchese) won't even state whether or not they think funding one religious education system and not others is discriminatory.
It is, in fact, a perfect example of discrimination. The inability of politicians to understand that, and their inaction, makes them appear cowardly.
There needs to be a solution to the discrimination of our education system.
Tory's plan is not the right plan, but it is better than simply allowing the discrimination to continue without acknowledgement.
I have gained respect for Tory for that reason, and lost respect for the leaders of the two other parties for not having a plan to end the discrimination.