Editorial: Tory's instincts are right, his solution is not

The Ontario PC leader has dug his own grave by attempting to answer a difficult question on education with the wrong answer

By James Sturgeon, Op-Ed Editor, Humber Et Cetera

Progressive Conservative leader John Tory certainly painted himself into a tight corner over the past few months after pledging to publicly fund an assortment of faith-based private schools a cornerstone of his campaign.

His pledge to inject $400-million of public funds into private Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Islamic and Jewish schools alongside the annual ante for Ontario’s public and Catholic school systems has become his Achilles heel in recent weeks, creating a comfortable 10-point margin between his PCs and the leading Liberals.

His pledge has been denounced as divisive and politically motivated by both the NDP and Liberals.

Even members of his own party have broken rank to oppose to it.

It is little wonder than, that Tory backed off the promise on Monday, saying that, if elected premier, he would allow a free vote in Queen’s Park determine the outcome.

He shouldn’t have to worry about that.

The overwhelming opinion of political pundits across the province is unanimous; the damage caused by the issue has doomed him, even with Monday’s abrupt about-face.

Yet the promise did serve to expose a colossal flaw in Ontario's education system.

At the heart of Tory’s proposal was a purported allegiance to “fairness.” Fairness to the 53,000 private religious school students who must pay for the entirety of their education, while the 625,000 Catholic school students ride for free.

Yet what of fairness for the 2.1 million public school students in Ontario who’s families would be on the hook for an enlarged separate system? Is it fair to fund a system that fosters exclusivity yet makes demands on all Ontarians?

“We still do need to address the issue of fairness and inclusion in our school system, and I stand by that,” he said shortly after the press conference on Monday.

He too is right, though. It is his solution that is wrong.

The opinion of this newspaper is that sooner or later, Ontario will be forced to grapple with the impossible task of funding all faith-based private schools, or none at all.

And, to cordially endorse a recent Toronto Star editorial, “On that day, Ontarians should be ready with a single secular public education system that will welcome all students, whatever their beliefs.”