Friday, September 07, 2007

Is John Tory's Campaign over???

As much as I like John Tory, I am totally disappointed.

I just don't quite understand why he would even touch that issue - given Tory is going against Warren Kinsella and how Kinsella demonized Day in the 2000 federal election.

What was John Tory thinking?? Avoiding mixing politics and religion is one of the rules in "Canadian Politics 101". It is the "golden rule" in retail politics.

I hope John Tory and the Ontario PC Party can get out of this PR mess. On the other hand, this mis-step gave McGuinty a lot of momentum for a second term.

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Canadian Press

TORONTO — Burned by his rekindling of the emotionally charged battle between creationism and evolution, Ontario's Progressive Conservative leader anxiously tried to deflect some of the attention Thursday as he urged voters not to judge him solely on the party's promise to fund faith-based schools.

John Tory, poised to hit the provincial campaign trail for the first time Monday, said he believes in evolution and admitted he needs to “choose his words carefully” when talking about such a controversial issue on the eve of an election.

“In the course of an election campaign, you have to have an open, honest discussion about these kinds of issues and you always have to choose your language with precision,” Mr. Tory said when asked if he regretted musing about teaching creationism in public religious schools.

“I understand that this issue is controversial . . . But it doesn't mean that you shouldn't discuss it or try to sweep it under the carpet.”

Voters in Ontario go the polls Oct. 10.

Tory opened a political Pandora's box Wednesday when he said he didn't see why creationism couldn't be taught in public religious schools on top of evolution and “other theories.”

He later clarified the remarks by insisting the subject would be restricted to religion class and wouldn't get the same emphasis as evolution, which is taught in the science lab.

On Thursday, Mr. Tory said his proposal to fund faith-based schools which teach the Ontario curriculum, hire accredited teachers and administer standardized tests shouldn't be the defining issue in the minds of voters.

“It's a part of our platform,” he said following at an event in a Toronto suburb.

“It represents a quarter of a page in a 52-page document . . . The education issue is one issue.”

Meanwhile, Liberal rival Dalton McGuinty was staking out his own safe territory on the thorny topic.

“Creationism is not a science,” Mr. McGuinty said. “Evolution is a science. When we're teaching science in our public schools, we should be teaching evolution.”

By wading head-first into the highly charged issue of creationism in class, Tory mystified political observers and became the latest in a line of politicians to learn the hard way how Canadians react when the thorny issue of religion rears its head during election season.

Former federal Conservative leader Stockwell Day, a devout fundamentalist Christian, was excoriated during the 2000 election campaign for stating his belief that dinosaurs and people walked the earth together.

It made for a Liberal field day. One strategist brandished a Barney doll as he declared, “This was the only dinosaur ever to be on Earth with humans.”

The issue of funding religious schools is contentious enough without mentioning “creationism,” said David Docherty, dean of arts at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.

That stirs up fears Ontario is moving toward the American model, where “creationism is going to get equal time with evolution,” he said.

If Mr. Tory was trying to differentiate himself from Mr. McGuinty, “he's chosen an unwise way to do it,” Mr. Docherty said.

“Mr. Tory is a very experienced politician. He learned at the feet of the master, (former Ontario premier) Bill Davis. But this is something Bill Davis never would have done.”

Mr. Davis extended full funding to Ontario Catholic schools in the mid-1980s.

Five other provinces — Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec — offer some form of public funding for independent schools.

David King, executive director of the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta, said the province's model means public religious schools can teach beliefs like creationism on top of the provincial curriculum, as long as it's approved by the Department of Education.

“There is always tension. There are people who will say some of their optional programs should not be accepted by the department — that's a source of tension,” he said.

“But there is tension about every issue of public policy and you don't resolve anything in a meaningful way by saying if there is tension, we are going to forbid it.”

But Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said “Ontario is not Alberta.”

“We are unique. People in Ontario take publicly funded education very seriously and the anxiety that (Mr. Tory) has stirred up is very genuine,” said Ms. Wynne, who is going head-to-head with Tory for her Toronto seat.

“Can we afford to take money from the public purse and put it into private religious schools at this juncture? The answer is no. Is that a direction we want to go? The answer is no.”

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