From Hope to Harris

In this chapter of From Hope to Harris Gidney uses a lot of dates and facts from the Ontario Legislature to support his discussion about the introduction of public tax money as a manner of financing the Catholic Schools Boards in Ontario.  Having tried to pass such legislature and failed, in the mid-1980s the Conservative Premier announced that the Conservative government would be going ahead with such actions.  Through the following election, which the Conservatives then won a minority, with the three main parties in agreement and the Liberals and NDP supporting each other, consultation was done and the bill was passed.  Constant evolution and change that education undergoes is not unique to our current situation, nor is the religious schools debate.   Interestingly, the most recent election in Ontario also saw the Conservative Party bring forth the idea of public funding for religious schools.  In the case within the chapter from Gidney’s book, the constitutional right of Catholics to have a publicly funded education system and the struggle to get funding for Catholic high schools in Ontario is focused on.  The argument is followed through its varying stages of development through the 1970s and more detailed in the 1980s with the introduction of the current support system by taxes and government money for the Catholic Separate school boards.  He examines both sides, though often I find the emphasis on the religious, Protestant versus Catholic, even when discussing the public school system. 

Prior to the debates and the changing of the funding structure, the Catholic Schools did receiving funds from the government; the underfunding of the Catholic system was causing issues.  Despite the guarantees of the charter, the funding differences meant disparity between the public and the Catholic schools.  They were not the only ones fighting; other denominations and religions supported the Catholics in their quest for funding, mostly due to their desire to also be recognised. 

When the funding system changed, many were hoping to keep the status quo.  The teachers, whom were being paid at a lower scale then their public school counterparts, were looking for an increase in salary.  Also, with the potential closing of public schools, this new funding meant hiring the teachers from the public system that lost their jobs and accepting non-Catholic students many were not happy with this arrangement. 

It should also be noted that Shapiro report October 1985 that it was discriminatory to fund some religious schools and not others – issue in most recent election in Ontario.  The unfairness of parents paying tuition to send their child to school while paying taxes to support one of the other school systems is also raised though not overly discussed in this chapter.  Neither state nor parents “have unqualified prior claims over the education of children”

Interesting to note, that the majority of this took place within a few years of the introduction of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Gidney cites a lot of dates, but like with many political issues that are debated, there are sometimes so many dates that the reader simply loses track and interest in what happened when.  This is too bad as this is an important piece of our educational funding as is one that is felt today in both the public systems and private schools. 

Having taught in religious schools, one in which the parents did pay public school taxes it is very important to some sects and denominations to have religion in the school and for things to be taught a certain way.  The funding of Catholic schools, a constitutional right or not, is discriminatory towards other religions and could be seen as going against the charter of rights and freedoms.

Carrie