Ontario Educators for Democratic Inclusive Public Schools

Ontario Educators for Democratic Inclusive Public Schools

In the few weeks of the Ontario election campaign that will end in a vote on October 10, citizens of Ontario will be subjected to a debate between the parties and in the media about the extension of the public education system to include faith-based schools. These schools teach about 2.5 percent of the total student population of Ontario based on curriculum that incorporates central principles of their religions. 
       The present educational system in Ontario extends privileges to one faith group in a separate school system.  The Ontario system is considered to be discriminatory by the United Nations Human Rights Commission.  Two of the main parties, the ruling Liberal Party and the NDP, are proposing to maintain the status quo, while a third, the Conservatives, wants to extend funding to all faith-based schools that follow the Ontario curriculum.  
        The divisions of faith-based schooling would further compromise a secular-based education. Modern democracy partly rests upon a separation of church and state. An Ipsos-Reid poll of Ontarians has found that 62 percent of respondents opposed the Conservative promise to have "Government extend full funding to these faith-based schools and others of a similar nature."
        Ontario is a multi-lingual, multi-racial, multi-cultural, society.  Citizens hold many religious beliefs, and many are without established faiths, including atheists. The 2001 Canadian census reports that 16 percent of the population does not identify with any religion.  
        An education system for a richly diverse and democratic society must bring together students from all faith, ethnic and economic grouping and backgrounds to learn respect and understanding, and to equalize educational resources and opportunities for all Ontario students.  Faith-based school systems build barriers to the equalizing role that a common public school system promotes between citizens.  Many parents are rightly concerned about the negative impact of the divisions that faith-based schools necessarily entail for social cohesiveness. The continued growth of a parallel private schooling system in Ontario is an equally formidable obstacle for a democratic education system.   
        A democratic education is an education for democracy. It requires a dialogue in which students and teachers critically assess their own assumptions and beliefs about religion, society and politics. This is the invaluable resource that a common public educational system, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 to an expansion of access to post-secondary education, provides.  
1. We call for Ontario to complete the project of building a democratic, inclusive public educational system, and to end the discriminatory practice of funding faith-based school systems.
2. We insist that all religious instruction in any faith be outside regular school hours. 
3.  We maintain that private schooling helps sustain barriers of income and class to a democratic education and citizenship and equally requires inclusion within a universal public system.
4.  We suggest that a referendum be put before the citizens of Ontario on completing a single, inclusive, universal educational system free from all forms of discrimination and barriers. 

Below are the names of those who have signed the petiton in alphabetical order:


Names and Affiliations

Greg Albo, York University
Nahla Abdo, Carleton University
Pramila Aggarwal, George Brown College
Lynn Arner, Brock University
Susan Babbitt, Queens University
Kaushalya Bannerji: York University
Himani Bannerji: York University
John Barkens, Brock University
Jane Bertrand, George Brown College
Diane Bergeron, George Brown College
Robert Brym, University of Toronto
Bev Burke, 
Barbara Cameron, York University
Derek Cohen, York University
Minoo Deraye, York University
Nancy DeCourville, Brock University
Stephan Dobson, York University
Slobodan Drakulic, Ryerson University
Karen Dubinsky, Queens University
Patricia Durish, University of Toronto
Brian Evans, Ryerson University
Simon Enock, Ryerson University
Hamid Ebrahimi, High School Teacher (Toronto Board)
Angela Fleury, University of Toronto
Sue Folinsbee, Literacy, Self-employed
Scott Forsyth, York University
Sam Gindin, York University
Mark Goodman, York University
Rachel Gorman, University of Toronto
Rachel Gouin, Community Educator
Ricardo Greenspun, York University
Jill Glessing, Ontario College of Art and Design
Amir Hassanpour, University of Toronto
Ruth Hayhoe, University of Toronto/OISE
Judy Hellman, York University
Steve Hellman, York University
Gerd Hauck, University of Waterloo
Brendan Heath, University of Toronto
Shereen Ismael, Carleton University
Nancy Jackson, University of Toronto/ OISE
Didi Khayatm, York University
Brigitte Kitchen, York University
Roger Keil, York University
Tariq Amin-Khan, Ryerson University
Mustafa Koc, Ryerson University
Michael Kuttner, Toronto SB teacher
Roberta Lamb, Queens University
Bob Luker, George Brown College
Tammy Landau, Ryerson University
Joel Lexchin, York University
Lee Lorch, York University
Robert MacDermid, York University
Joan Malcolmsen,
Terry Maley, York University
Guida Man, York University
Jamie Magnusson, Univeristy of Toronto/OISE
Linzi Manicom, University of Toronto
Lorna Marsden, York Uinverersity
Ozay Mehmet, Carleton University (Emeritus)
Angela Miles, University of Toronto/ OISE
Haideh Moghissi, York University
Shahrzad Mojab, University of Toronto/ OISE
Colin Moores, Ryerson University
Wendy McKeen, York University
Bonnie McElhinny, University of Toronto
Krishan Mehta, University of Toronto
Roxana Ng, University of Toronto, OISE
Deirdre Norman, Public citizen
Marvyn Novack, Ryerson University
Mary Nyquist, University of Toronto
Leo Panitch, York University
John Peters, Laurentian University
Lorene Pupo, York University
Saeed Rahnema, York University
Tracey Raney, Ryerson University
Narda Razack, York University
Jaclyn Rea, Brock University
Amy Rossiter, York University
John Saul, York University
Larry Savage, Brock University
Ben Shek, University of Toronto
John Shields, Ryerson University
Hira Sing, York University
Sergio Sismondo, Queens University
Sheila Stewart, University of Toronto
Amber Stiebel, George Brown College
Jennifer Sumner, York University
Aparna Sundar, Ryerson University
Judith Taylor, University of Toronto
Neil Thomlinson, Ryerson University
Ashwini Tambe, University of Toronto
David V. Trotman, 
Vappu Tyyska, Ryerson University
Livy Visano, York University
Rosemary Warskett, Carleton University
Anne Willats, George Brown College
Yuk-Lin Renita Wong
Fang Zhang, University of Toronto
Suzie Young, York University 

Ali Kordbacheh
Anta Katic
Judy Rebick
Dina Georgis
J. P. Hornich
Sally Wallen
Karen Chandler
Rod Mc Cormack
Earl Manners
Wilburn Hayden
Hugh Armstrong
Joanne Maikawa
Dick Roman
Ken Kawashima
Linda Briskin
Meg Luxton