Social Policy in Ontario

Ontario’s publicly funded intolerance

Posted on December 14, 2011 in Education Policy Context

Source: National Post — Authors: Scott Stinson

NationalPost.com – FullComment
Dec 14, 2011.    Scott Stinson

The various groups that have come out against Ontario’s proposed anti-bullying law are doing a fine job of proving the argument that the province has no business funding a separate Catholic school system.

It was one thing when, last week, religious groups held a press conference to accuse the McGuinty Liberals of, among other things, harbouring a “radical” sex-education agenda. Many of the actors in that drama have been pushing that line for some time now, and the suggestion that Ontario has an agenda to foster homosexuality deserves little more than a roll of the eyes.

More moderate voices, meanwhile, have said they expect Catholic schools to be places of tolerance, although they are leery about the part of Bill 13 that requires schools to allow the formation of clubs such as gay-straight alliances should students choose to form them. But now Teresa Pierre, the director of a group called Ontario Catholic Parent Advocates, is saying quite plainly that Bill 13 would require Catholic schools to accept homosexuality. And that they shouldn’t have to.

She said her group believes that Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of Ontario, wants to force Catholic schools to allow groups like gay-straight alliances that would end up promoting homosexuality as acceptable, something that goes against official Church teaching.

“We would not tolerate negative speech toward anyone based on his or her sexual orientation in our schools,” she said. “Nevertheless, we don’t want society telling the Church what is proper behaviour and what it should teach.”

This is a strange way to promote tolerance: do not say anything negative toward anyone based on sexual orientation. Oh, and also, homosexuality is unacceptable and improper. But again: don’t say that to anyone.

Related

• Anti-bullying bill subverts Catholic curriculum: group

  It’s the second part of that quote that goes a long way toward explaining the fundamental flaw in a system that funds a separate Catholic school system: “We don’t want society telling the Church what is proper behaviour and what it should teach.”

  Fine, no problem. The Catholic Church has a right to its beliefs. But the fact that taxpayers continue to fund schools that want to teach those beliefs looks ever more ridiculous as stories like this play out.

  < http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/12/14/scott-stinson-ontarios-publicly-funded-intolerance/ >

Tags: ideology, rights, tax, youth

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