In light of the controversy over gay-straight alliances at Catholic schools, yesterday's "Keep the Faith—But Not in Our Schools" rally called for the secularization of the province's education system.
Yesterday, dozens of people gathered at Queen’s Park to raise awareness for an issue that has become increasingly divisive not just for Torontonians, but for the entire province. Initiated by the Canadian Secular Alliance (CSA), a non-profit organization that advocates for the separation of church and state in all levels of government, the “Keep the Faith—But Not in Our Schools” rally was held to protest discrimination against homosexuals in publicly funded Catholic schools, specifically the denial of gay teens’ rights to form LGBT support groups. “We believe that the government should remain neutral in matters of religion and should not privilege one religion over another,” said CSA president Greg Oliver. “Because it’s election time, we are trying bring attention to an issue that the three main parties seem to be avoiding.”
Controversy on this issue first erupted a year ago when, after the Ministry of Education asked school boards to formulate policies for coping with homophobia, the province’s Roman Catholic schools voiced their objections to the concept of gay-straight alliance (GSA) groups. Most recently, at an Aug. 31 meeting of the Toronto District Catholic School Board, opponents of proposed GSA groups argued that the Catholic system existed so that their children could be given a faith-based education and that the policies of their school should be dictated by the Pope, not the provincial premier. However, as the CSA emphasized at yesterday’s rally, it costs the people of Ontario over $500 million to keep Catholic schools in operation, and those present were keen to point out that such discrimination, while not acceptable under any circumstance, should especially not be promoted in a publicly funded school system.
Under a banner reading “Ontario Can’t Afford Religious Discrimination,” speakers took turns pointing out the flaws of an archaic system dating back to the mid-19th century, when funding for Catholic schools was implemented to appease the French population of Ontario. And while Quebec has long since amalgamated its two systems, ours (along with Saskatchewan and Alberta) is one of the last to remain segregated. Tellingly, before the protest started, campaign buses for Tim Hudak pulled up in front of Queens Park, prompting hopeful speculation that the Ontario PC premier candidate would say a few words. However, moments before the speeches kicked off, the buses drove off, perhaps an ominous sign that rally’s message may be falling on the deaf ears of our future provincial leaders.
