Election Ontario

There goes Premier Dalton McGuinty again, the original disingenuous political specimen, earnestly claiming to be engaged in matters that relate to the deepest interests of all the voters, and most particularly the educational and social welfare of voters' children, the province's most essential human resource demographic. He's incapable of noticing the unsightly smear of egg on his face.

He implores Ontarians to understand his deep commitment to the education needs of the province's children, that it be acknowledged that quality educational opportunities be available to all under the canopy of an acknowledged curriculum in a secular system. The only proviso to the current situation where education funding is to be denied by his government to religion- and private-based schools is the status quo.

The status quo being, needless to say, government funding of secular-oriented public schools, along with full government funding of schools in the Catholic school system, both primary-elementary and secondary. Last time we heard, Catholicism is a religion, but this one and only religion is being funded, and none others. Because of legal and constitutional precedent, ostensibly.

Which other provinces, most notably Quebec, have enacted their own legislation to overturn. Not Ontario under Premier McGuinty, however. Nothing personal in this, mind. His father, it's true, was fundamentally instrumental in persuading the-then Conservative government of kindly old Bill Harris to extend funding to Catholic secondary schools. Hugely benefiting his own children.

The premier's own children have had the taxpayer extend payment out of public funds to their private religious education. The premier's wife teaches in the Catholic school system. Yet this man is adamant that extending public funding to other religious schools would overturn strides being made in offering quality education and funding through and to our secular school system.

While at the same time placing children beyond the social functionality of learning together and appreciating our diversity. His political adversary is determined to extend public funding to other faith-based schools. Which elicits condemnation from the premier and the statement: "If you're going to lob a grenade into the education debate, you better know where you're going to be taking us."

Right. And when NDP leader Howard Hampton suggests in the interests of fairness that government stop funding Catholic schools, that too is fundamentally flawed. That merits the statement that "We're not going back to cuts. And we're not going back to conflict." Which kind of sounds like everyone should be prepared to do it his way or no way. His way is to continue funding the province's education as it currently exists.

Fact of the matter is the historical and constitutional reasons for the current situation is no longer sufficient reason to continue what is certainly an unfair advantage to parents who wish their children to be educated in a religion-based institution that is Catholic, while other parents who have similar perceived needs for their children must pay through their own pocketbooks.

He has the unmitigated gall to claim: "For me, the overriding principle here is an ethical one". Except for the fact that his ethics are rather threadbare, the statement has a nice ring to it. He denies his opponents' claim that his position is one of self-interest, motivated by his personal cleaving to the Catholic religion: "My Catholicism, my faith, does not determine my position", he claims.

"My responsibility to the public interest does." Oh. Hard to figure that one out. How can this man convince himself so delusionally that what he preaches and what he practises are at critical odds?

Cease funding all private and religion-based schools and have done with it.