Ontario PC Leader John Tory has touched off a political firestorm with a plan to fund religious schools that's woefully lacking in detail, Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty said Monday as he stepped up the attack on his strongest rival's weakest flank.
"If you're going to lob this grenade into the education debate, then you'd better know where you're taking us," McGuinty said during a visit to a Catholic high school in Markham, north of Toronto, during the lead-up to the Oct. 10 provincial election.
"You better have worked this out in minute detail, and I haven't seen any evidence of that whatsoever."
Ontario currently only offers public funding to Catholic schools but Tory has promised to extend it to all faith-based schools that comply with Ontario standards. McGuinty repeated his claims that Tory's plan would take $500 million a year out of public education and segregate students.
It was the first time during the campaign that McGuinty has visited a Catholic school, and he took the opportunity to defend the current system from charges that it discriminates against students of other faiths.
"I want to make publicly funded education so excellent, so irresistible, that all those kids that find themselves in our private schools today will say, 'I want to go to a public school,'" McGuinty said.
He also defended himself against critics who charge he is favouring Catholic schools because of his own religious beliefs. McGuinty's wife, Terri, is a teacher in the Catholic system and their children attended Catholic schools.
But McGuinty said Monday that his faith does not guide his decisions as premier
"Where I went to school 35 years ago isn't nearly as important to the people I serve as where their kids will be 35 years from now," he said.
"The kind of education my kids used to get isn't nearly as important to them as the quality of their kids' schooling today. And where my wife teaches isn't nearly as important to Ontario parents as how well their kids' teacher is doing."
Later, at a gathering of Ontario principals in the nearby suburb of Richmond Hill, McGuinty announced plans to create specialized schools in trades, math, science, arts and athletics in each school board.
In an interview early Monday on an Ottawa radio station, Tory fought back, saying McGuinty was once in favour of funding religious schools if they followed certain conditions.
Tory said McGuinty is now just speaking out against the proposal because he's a political opportunist.
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Ontario Votes 2007 »
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More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
