Political quotes
Canada
"While the responsibility to comply with the obligations enshrined in international human rights instruments and to uphold universally agreed human rights standards falls upon states, involvement by informed citizens is key to pushing for states' compliance with human rights instruments."
- Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, March 2004, in the preface to "FOR THE RECORD 2003: The United Nations Human Rights System".
- Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, March 2004, in the preface to "FOR THE RECORD 2003: The United Nations Human Rights System".
"Mr. Volpe [Joe Volpe, Federal Liberal leadership candidate], a 59-year-old veteran Toronto MP, referred back to the reason he entered the campaign - to show how Canada has matured to the point where an immigrant can run for the highest political office in the land.
The longtime MP, born in Italy, won applause when he told of being approached two days ago by a Canadian of Sikh faith who said to him: 'I want a leader who will make me feel like an equal in this country - no matter my colour, my religion, my culture, my history.'" (emphasis added).
Excerpt from:
Juliet O'Neill, Mike Blanchfield, and Jack Aubry, "Volpe bolts to Rae's camp", Ottawa Citizen, 2006-12-02, p. A1.
The longtime MP, born in Italy, won applause when he told of being approached two days ago by a Canadian of Sikh faith who said to him: 'I want a leader who will make me feel like an equal in this country - no matter my colour, my religion, my culture, my history.'" (emphasis added).
Excerpt from:
Juliet O'Neill, Mike Blanchfield, and Jack Aubry, "Volpe bolts to Rae's camp", Ottawa Citizen, 2006-12-02, p. A1.
Ontario
"I share the Prime Minister's hope that China will soon ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Prime Minister raised these issues because they are important to all Canadians — and because the Government of Canada is responsible for the conduct of foreign policy at the state-to-state level. Respect for the basic rights of our citizens is something that is also very important to me and to my government."
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, in an address to the Tsinghua University Law School, Beijing, China, 7 Nov 2005. Ironically, the Premier was suggesting that China should abide by the same human rights instrument that Ontario was censured for continuing to violate only five days before this address. The first censure came in 1999.
(Do as I say, not as I do.)
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, in an address to the Tsinghua University Law School, Beijing, China, 7 Nov 2005. Ironically, the Premier was suggesting that China should abide by the same human rights instrument that Ontario was censured for continuing to violate only five days before this address. The first censure came in 1999.
(Do as I say, not as I do.)
"The controversy over gay-straight clubs in schools has also touched off a longstanding debate about Ontario's publicly funded Catholic school system, whose leaders don't always agree with the government's directives.
But McGuinty said Monday he has no intention of creating a single public school system in the province, even if it were recommended as a cost-saving measure for his cash-strapped government.
Former economist Don Drummond, who was commissioned by the Liberals to draft a report on government services, wasn't forbidden from making that recommendation, McGuinty said.
'We did not speak to that, but even if he were to recommend that, that is not something that we would pursue,' he said.
His priority is making sure Ontario students receive a good education, which will help the province compete in a global economy, McGuinty added."
Excerpt from:
Maria Babbage, "Premier McGuinty untroubled by accusations that he's not a good Catholic", Winnipeg Free Press, 2011-12-12.
(What? You didn't think this exercise was being conducted in good faith, did you?)
But McGuinty said Monday he has no intention of creating a single public school system in the province, even if it were recommended as a cost-saving measure for his cash-strapped government.
Former economist Don Drummond, who was commissioned by the Liberals to draft a report on government services, wasn't forbidden from making that recommendation, McGuinty said.
'We did not speak to that, but even if he were to recommend that, that is not something that we would pursue,' he said.
His priority is making sure Ontario students receive a good education, which will help the province compete in a global economy, McGuinty added."
Excerpt from:
Maria Babbage, "Premier McGuinty untroubled by accusations that he's not a good Catholic", Winnipeg Free Press, 2011-12-12.
(What? You didn't think this exercise was being conducted in good faith, did you?)
"You know what I love about our publicly funded schools? They're public! Whatever their race creed or cultural background, our kids attend the same schools. Together. They learn together. Play and laugh and sing together. Help each other with algebra. Forge friendships that last a lifetime. In our public schools, along with their reading and math, our kids learn about each other. They come to understand and accept one another. In a very real sense, it's our public schools that make Ontario, Ontario. But today, those public schools are threatened. There is a plan to take a half a billion dollars from our public schools to fund private, religious schools. I think that would be a mistake. A very serious mistake. After years of cuts and conflict, our public schools are finally getting back on their feet. Class sizes in the lower grades are coming down. Test scores are going up. More kids are staying in school. Peace and stability are allowing our public schools to focus, once again, on the only people that truly matter: our children. If Ontario is to flourish, our children must flourish. And our children can only flourish if we give them the best public schools. If you share my view on public verses private education, I need your help. Please, on October 10th, stand up for our public schools."
Dalton McGuinty, premier of Ontario, 2007 election advertisement.
(Wow. Who wouldn't want to vote for this man? When it comes to inclusive public education, he gets it! But wait a minute, what about the 600,000+ Catholic kids who are hived off in segregated, publicly funded Catholic schools that mostly reject children not of their creed? Will non-Catholic kids learn, play, laugh, and sing with them too? Will the Catholic kids learn, play, laugh, and sing with non-Catholic kids? Dalton?)
Dalton McGuinty, premier of Ontario, 2007 election advertisement.
(Wow. Who wouldn't want to vote for this man? When it comes to inclusive public education, he gets it! But wait a minute, what about the 600,000+ Catholic kids who are hived off in segregated, publicly funded Catholic schools that mostly reject children not of their creed? Will non-Catholic kids learn, play, laugh, and sing with them too? Will the Catholic kids learn, play, laugh, and sing with non-Catholic kids? Dalton?)
“No amount of public debate over whether it’s fair to fund Catholic schools but not Jewish and Muslim schools would cause a Liberal government to re-examine current funding for Catholic schools as the only publicly funded separate system. ... It’s the
system that we inherited.”
- Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Education
Excerpt from:
Michael Swan, "Catholic system is here to stay", The Catholic Register, 2008-03-20.
(Democracy-schmocracy.)
system that we inherited.”
- Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Education
Excerpt from:
Michael Swan, "Catholic system is here to stay", The Catholic Register, 2008-03-20.
(Democracy-schmocracy.)
"I would like to thank my fellow trustees for the privilege of serving as your chair. We are here for the sole purpose to advocate for Catholic education in Ontario. I feel our role as trustee is significant to the success of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. We will continue to work together and be strong advocates and stewards of Catholic education in Ontario." (emphasis added)
- Brent Laton, upon his election as Chair of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, December 2011.
Excerpt from:
EMC News, "Catholic school board chooses chair, vice-chair at annual meeting", Perth EMC, 2011-12-15.
(Imagine. If we didn't have a Catholic system anymore, maybe the trustees would be more interested in furthering the quality of education.)
- Brent Laton, upon his election as Chair of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, December 2011.
Excerpt from:
EMC News, "Catholic school board chooses chair, vice-chair at annual meeting", Perth EMC, 2011-12-15.
(Imagine. If we didn't have a Catholic system anymore, maybe the trustees would be more interested in furthering the quality of education.)
"Our government has recognized that in small communities (schools are) a community hub. We also have to acknowledge that the very purpose of schools is to educate children. The school must be able to provide the best programming. A school needs a critical mass to do that. It's about balancing (those needs.)"
- Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, September 2009.
(And why can't so many Ontario schools achieve the critical mass for a decent selection of programs? Because we divide kids into public and Catholic schools rife with split grade classes, when we could instead bring them together in more cost effective fully enrolled schools with far fewer split grade classes and a better selection of programs. Schools attended by all of a community's children make a much better community hub as well.)
- Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, September 2009.
(And why can't so many Ontario schools achieve the critical mass for a decent selection of programs? Because we divide kids into public and Catholic schools rife with split grade classes, when we could instead bring them together in more cost effective fully enrolled schools with far fewer split grade classes and a better selection of programs. Schools attended by all of a community's children make a much better community hub as well.)
Québec
"The Task Force is submitting its conclusions in the form of a brief series of recommendations intended to serve as a basis for public discussion. These recommendations clearly represent a break with the tradition that has prevailed in Québec for more than a century. They amount to a proposal that, in the future, our education system be unequivocally based on respect for the right to equality and respect for freedom of conscience and religion. In 1975, the National Assembly enthroned the right to equality and freedom of conscience and religion in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Like the National Assembly, we
believe that this right and this freedom, with the other fundamental rights guaranteed in the Québec Charter, are the “foundation of justice and peace.” We have come to the conclusion, that to provide for the full exercise of these rights, Québec must replace its current denominational school system by a secular school system and consequently redefine the place of religion in schools."
- From "Conclusions and Recommendations" in "Religion in Secular Schools: A New Perspective for Québec", the report of the Task Force on the Place of Religion in Schools in Québec (The Proulx Report), March 1999.
believe that this right and this freedom, with the other fundamental rights guaranteed in the Québec Charter, are the “foundation of justice and peace.” We have come to the conclusion, that to provide for the full exercise of these rights, Québec must replace its current denominational school system by a secular school system and consequently redefine the place of religion in schools."
- From "Conclusions and Recommendations" in "Religion in Secular Schools: A New Perspective for Québec", the report of the Task Force on the Place of Religion in Schools in Québec (The Proulx Report), March 1999.
Newfoundland and Labrador
"On behalf of all Newfoundlander and Labradorians, I wish to publicly acknowledge the contribution of each and every member of this House of Assembly, to date, in unanimously supporting government's efforts to amend Term 17. It is imperative that, in these times of rapidly declining enrollment and scarce resources, the current complex system with its duplication of school boards, administrative offices, schools and transportation systems be fundamentally redesigned for educational excellence and fiscal responsibility. The children of the province deserve no less."
- Roger Grimes, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Education, in a statement read in the House of Assembly, 5 Dec 1996.
- Roger Grimes, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Education, in a statement read in the House of Assembly, 5 Dec 1996.
"I believe it's time to recognize that we cannot maintain our commitment to achieving the education reform necessary to shape our future, if we continue to tie that reform to the denominational system of education that shaped our past. ... I believe it's our children who must be given a full opportunity in 1997 to live together and to learn together. In fact that simple, but yet so desirable, objective cannot be fulfilled if the denominational rights which exist today, continue into the future. ... I believe it's time to hire our teachers because they're competent, caring and committed to our children, not because of their religion. I believe it's time to elect our school board members because they will exercise their best judgement on behalf of all of us, not just on behalf of some of us."
- Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announcing a provincial referendum on education reform, 31 Jul 1997.
- Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announcing a provincial referendum on education reform, 31 Jul 1997.