Faith-based School Funding

One of the major issues in the upcoming provincial election is the question of whether or not public funds should be allocated to faith-based schools. Since its announcement by the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, John Tory, it has been one of the hot-button issues and the basis for many debates and advertisements.

Issues that deal with religion always seem to spark controversy in any Canadian political form and the funding faith-based schools issue is no exception. And why would it be? Despite the fact that it doesn't step on the toes of religious doctrine, it still steps on the toes of the taxpaying public. If a family wishes for their children to go to a religiously based school teaching religious doctrine alongside a curriculum than it should by all means be provided to them without having to be concerned about an expensive tuition.

The problem with this beleif comes in the form of a largely secular taxpaying public that views the money payed in taxes to the government as still theirs. From here the issue moves to a question of how democratized or society really is. It may seem fair to some to have the government publicly fund Catholic and public school boards like it has in the past, but how well will that sit with the Canadian Islamic and Christian families that don't want to pay tuition anymore? If a child of a Catholic home can go to school that supports their faith structure it really doesn't seem Canadian to disallow this same treatment for a family abiding by the structure of a different beleif system.