Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara in particular is the focus of scrutiny:
If, as Finance Minister Greg Sorbara did yesterday, one is going to slam funding for private religious schools because they are divisive and separate kids from one another, it is useful if you can show yourself as a public school supporter.
Sadly, Sorbara cannot. His six kids went to the exclusive Toronto Waldorf school -- not a faith-based school, sure, but not exactly the kind of place where your kids mix and mingle with children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
When Blizzard calls him up on it, Sorbara attempts to duck the question (not unlike the obfuscation you see in Question Period), and then he throws in this zinger:
We will see kids from any number of different religions spending all of their time with people of their own faith and I think defining that as our future is very dangerous."
Blizzard muses:
Let me get this right: Rich people like Sorbara can put their kids in posh private schools without dangerously setting them apart from public school kids. And Catholics can put their kids in fully-funded religious schools without the world coming to an end. But low-income people and non-Catholics are -- what? Too stupid? Too poor to put their kids in private religious schools without it being a problem? Sounds very elitist to me.
In any case, it appears that Greg Sorbara and his cronies are still bent on snubbing the Jewish community.
Big mistake, Greg.
13 comments:
Blizzard needs to call Monte Quinter and Michael on the faith-based question also.
Anon, care to expand on that? I would be most interested.
Might also want to spell "Kwinter's" last name right.
Kwinter and Bryant support faith-based funding.
As for cocktail socialists touting public school for us all and choosing private for their own kids, add Pierre Trudeau, Steven Lewis, Paul Martin, and Bob Rae to the mix. Would Dilton McDoiley suggest for a minute that they promoted segregation?
For a real look at segregation look no farther than the public system. Remember the USA and blacks, or look to Quebec segregation of English students. Public education is wrought with examples of deliberate segregation and tierism.
Why don't isn't the TDSB running an exchange program and sending students from C.W. Jeffries to Rosedale Collegiate? Is it because our public system makes the difference in communities their distinction? Yes!
Also, last April a Liberal backbencher made a motion objecting to the use of public money for private schools. When the motion was called only 6 Liberals were on hand for the vote. All others stayed away.(It's all in Hansard).
Why did they stay away? According to the Toronto Star's Ian U. it's because they were really mad at MPP Fonseca for the motion because they have many private schools in their constituencies and didn't want to anger voters I suspect.
It has also been rumoured that the Toronto DSB has already been talking with the Jewish community about some sort of funding arrangement, much the same as what Tory's proposing. So, I have to wonder why the Liberals aren't coming down hard on that school board? Could it have anything to do with the education minister's affiliation with that board, or were they going to make this deal secretly.
Lots of questions for an investigative media to ask....only they're not asking.
Oh, and you don't suppose that Warren Kinsella's got the Liberals in lock-step on the faith-based issue without first checking where their own kids go to school do you?
Better yet, can we suppose the reason Warren's staying on the faith-based theme is as a diversion from any other issue because so many of those have been screwed up by his party? Again.....yep. That's my assumption.
I actually respect Kinsella, but not lately, He's not doing is best stuff at the moment from my opinion.
Thanks, Anon. I agree with you on Kinsella. His posts are disappointing at best lately. Pity, because I usually enjoy his style. I detect anger or fear at the moment.
You ask many good questions. I think we need to get resident detective Steve Janke on some of this stuff.
BTW, would you happen to have any links to support what you say about Bryant & Kwinter? I always love to stir things up a bit; especially when there is dissension in the ranks. Thanks so much.
Blizzard's an idiot - you know, she thinks she was accosted in Ottawa by druggies or something.
This school is NOT faith based and anyone of any religion or ethnic background can go and WE DON'T have to pay for it.
Nitpicking like this is getting truly tiresome.
regardless of what school sorbara's kids attend, tory's obvious pandering to religious groups is still more pathetic.
i fail to see how the hypocrisy of those who wish to send their kids to private schools makes tory's plan OK..
separation of church and state. pretty simple.
separation of church and state. pretty simple.
Even for Catholics?
Public Education...
A true conservative might be opposed to ALL taxpayer funded schooling IMO! And based on the mess it's become .... maybe not such a wild idea!
At the very least opposed to ALL funding of faith based schools.
The public school system was designed and intended to be all inclusive. To give education to each generation so that they might contribute more productively to society.
This simple concept has been under attack by bureaucrats and self interest groups ever since and fundamentally perverted from it's original purpose.
What we have now is a form of state sponsored daycare and political indoctrination that shows little if any concern for quality of education or developing productive members of society.
A taxpayer funded make work project for many otherwise unemployable products of the same system.
A feel good enterprise that allows the indolent parent and the corrupt bureaucrat to believe that they are doing the right thing.
An expensive joke....
Do you know that the FIRST Free School in Canada was in Preston Ontario? It was started by relatives of mine and funded by the municipal government in addition to direct support from the local businesses (textile mills and freight houses).
This setting the president for modern public education.
It stopped being a public school when the Ontario Government got into the business of education....
The building still exists and is now a private house.
Ironically ... my kindergarten teacher lives there!
Here's a link
Old Otto Klotz would be rolling in his grave if he could see what has become of his ideal!
Joanne (True Blue) said...
separation of church and state. pretty simple.
Even for Catholics?
Fri Aug 31, 02:11:00 PM EDT
Actually, thats the only sane alternative.
Fund them all, right down to the Pastafarians, or fund none of them.
None would be my preference, but neither the NDP nor the Liberals have the intestinal fortitude to make that their position.
It is, however, the Green position and if their candidate in my riding isn't a cardboard cutout, that's who'll get my vote.
Not that it makes a blind bit of difference, since it's always a Tory or a Liberal in the running and my conscience won't let me cast a vote for either.
This, BTW, is why I will be voting for MMP.
PGP - actually public education started as a way to control the masses at the whim of government.
I highly recommend Market Education The Unknown History by Canadian turned American Andrew J. Coulson
"The State, therefore, so far from having nothing to do with the children, constitutes their collective parent, and is bound to...secure them all that will qualify them to become useful to the state."(Egerton Ryerson 1858)
His motivation had nothing to do with equality. His motivation to quote Coulson was "his profound belief that his fellow citizens, like so many errant sheep, were incapable of looking after themselves and needed to be herded and watched over by a vigilant government."
re: Kwinter, Bryant - check Hansard maybe or the Society for Quality Education archives.
PGP - Interesting historical tidbit there about the Preston school. Not too far from here.
What we have now is a form of state sponsored daycare and political indoctrination that shows little if any concern for quality of education or developing productive members of society.
Yeah, I was just reading about the "No child left behind" concept of never letting a kid stay behind because it might hurt their precious self-esteem. Then when they get out in the real world, they don't know what hit them!
A miserable failure.
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None would be my preference, but neither the NDP nor the Liberals have the intestinal fortitude to make that their position.
Valiantmauz, again we find something to agree on.
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His motivation had nothing to do with equality. His motivation to quote Coulson was "his profound belief that his fellow citizens, like so many errant sheep, were incapable of looking after themselves and needed to be herded and watched over by a vigilant government."
Oh, the old sheeple concept. PGP is going to love that! ;)
Anon, BTW, thanks for the tips on Kwinter and Bryant. I'll go digging.
"Anonymous said...
Might also want to spell "Kwinter's" last name right."
Indeed. How can you forget how to spell the name of the guy, when it's all over hot dog packages.
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