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TORY FAILED TO HEED PUBLIC OUTRAGE
The election results are final. The Liberal members have an outright majority in the legislature with no worry that they will have to face the electorate for another four years.
That is why I favor minority governments where the elected members are accountable.
John Tory was part of Bill Davis’s team that brought in legislation to pay the cost of Roman Catholic secondary education. Davis retired and his successor lost the next election. Tory had a ‘great’ idea to appoint Bill to head a review panel to study the implementation of funding for faith based schools.
In my column on amalgamation I voiced my opinion that we need only one publicly funded public education system. No need to have two or God forbid a number of administrations duplicating services at the expense of we the tax payers.
Tory didn’t heed the outrage of the electorate until it was too late. When the world was crashing around him he altered his stance on same faith education funding to be decided on in a free vote in the legislature.
Now we have the religious parents feeling betrayed along with those who feared diluting the public schools.
Wonder of wonders Tory lost his own seat to the minister of education. He admits that the buck stops with him but still wants to lead the Conservatives. To be a member of the legislature he first has to have one of the elected members be willing to give up their seat so he can run in a bi election. Not likely that his caucus will back him up.
Like Julius Caesar Tory is an honorable man but the knives will be out to remove his carcass as soon as possible. Sad that many fine candidates for the legislature the likes of Jim Chapman were unable to make a contribution in government because of one issue.
Clarence Darrell, lawyer for the defense in the Scope Monkey trial when asked by a reporter what his religious beliefs were answered,’Minding my own business.’
It is my humble opinion that religious beliefs should not be part of publicly funded education. One’s religion is to be respected regardless of diversity and celebrated in the church/mosque/synagogue of your choice not in publicly funded schools.
With a declining birth rate student population we need to fund only one quality public education for all Londoners. As it stand now only elementary children who are baptized in the Roman Catholic religion can attend Catholic schools. To be able to teach for the R C board of education you need a letter from your clergyman who has to be a priest. The public board takes all qualified teachers regardless of religious beliefs.
Hopefully the Ontario Liberals will show leadership in the coming year to amalgamate the two remaining boards of education.
Ray D please get in touch with me to print your story.
Len Lesser