A Trojan Horse of public funding

As Ontario election day nears, the provincial Progressive Conservative party has released its Party Plan book, outlining major policies. It was decided that if elected, the party won't reinstate the tax credit for families who send their children to independent schools. Instead the Party Plan book suggests that the government extends public funds to independent schools, making them more affordable to parents.

That may sound like a good offer, especially to those who view tax credits as "beer and popcorn money". But here's the catch: public funds will cost faith-based schools their independence. It happened already to the Catholic schools back in 2002, when the court ruled that a perverse couple must be allowed to attend a Catholic school prom. Try to explain the activist judges a lifestyle chosen by the couple in question goes against the beliefs of all other students. The fact that Catholics also pay taxes and therefore have the right for a tax-funded Catholic school network was also ignored. The judges claimed that as long as the school is publicly funded, it must adhere to the same standards as any other public school.

Now the Ontario PC offer the same to independent schools, suggesting that they sell their souls for government funding. Parents and schools must be aware of the devil in the details.

The policy notes also, "With this direct public funding will come strict criteria and accountability requirements," which include full incorporation of "the complete requirements of Ontario's common curriculum."
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The Ontario government curriculum mandates both sex education including 'sexual orientation' and education on Darwinian evolution, which many faith-based schools find objectionable.

The Party Plan also mandates that schools accepting public funding would have to "appropriately address teacher credentialing." If that language would require all faith-based schools to employ teachers only from within the Ontario teacher's college, it would be another major obstacle for faith-based schools.

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Not many are aware that there is an alternative to the PC party. The Family Coalition Party of Ontario, the only pro-life party in the province, is proposing offering the tax credit system implemented by the former Conservative government. The FCP would also add school vouchers which would allow parents to determine for themselves where their education tax dollars would be allotted. This election the Family Coalition Party is committed to run full slate of candidates, giving every parent in Ontario the opportunity to vote for an education system that embraces parental choice and academic achievement.