Saturday, May 5, 2007

Ontario Government Will Not Eliminate Constitutionally Guaranteed Catholic School System

By Hilary WhiteNIAGARA FALLS, April 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ontario Education Minister, Kathleen Wynne, has confirmed that the Ontario government has no intention of eliminating the constitutionally guaranteed separate Catholic school system. Wynne was in Niagara Falls Friday at the annual meeting of the Catholic Principal's Council of Ontario and said, “I am here to offer unqualified support to Catholic education in the province.” The meeting was attended by about 500 Catholic principals.Last week, LifeSiteNews.com reported that the district school board trustees of Hamilton, Ottawa-Carleton and Grand Erie voted to ask that the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association to renew a request to the government to eliminate the separate schools. The separate system they say, is an unnecessary drain on scarce funds.Stoney Creek trustee Robert Barlow, said earlier this month that the separate systems are redundant since both systems accept students of any faith. “There is nothing different between us and the Catholic system,” Mr. Barlow said. “It’s a waste of money, money that could be put into the classroom.” Wynne said on Friday, “There is discussion in the province to shift what we inherited into something else, but I support the system that exists because of our heritage and our constitution.” Section 93 of the 1982 Constitution Act guarantees to Roman Catholics in Ontario the right to have a publicly-funded separate denominational school system.Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has also said that the government had no plans to scrap the Catholic system.

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