Coalition Hosts Rally to Abolish Catholic Public Schools
Toronto, Ontario -- (SBWire) -- 09/10/2010 -- The One School System Network (OSSN), a coalition of teachers, civil rights, secularist and religious groups, will hold a rally calling for the end of tax-payer funding to the Roman Catholic public school system.
The rally will be held on Monday, September 13 in front of the Royal York Hotel at 100 Front Street from 12 noon - 2:00pm.
The rally will occur outside an international summit on education - "The Building Blocks for Education: Whole System Reform" - being held by the Ministry of Education.
"Its an international embarrassment, a waste of millions a year, and a violation of church-state separation to spend tax dollars on a system that can choose only to hire employees in good standing with their religion," said Justin Trottier of the Centre for Inquiry.
The UN has twice found Canada in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for publicly funding Catholic schools.
Member groups of the OSSN include prominent religious organizations such as the Canadian Hindu Advocacy, the Muslim Canadian Congress, and the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity.
"One stroke of the legislative pen will undo this injustice," said Malcolm Buchanan of Civil Rights in Public Education. Quebec, Manitoba, and Newfoundland have all removed denomination school systems.
OSSN members and supporters include:
- Centre for Inquiry Canada
- Canadian Civil Liberties Association
- Civil Rights in Public Education
- The Canadian Hindu Advocacy
- Muslim Canadian Congress
- Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity
- Humanist Association of Canada
- International Campaign for Human Rights
- Secular Ontario
Visit http://www.canadasdirtylittlesecret.com
For more information, please contact
OSSN Media Officer
Sheila Ayala
613-738-7720
sheila@secularism.net
Media Relations Contact
Justin Trottier
Centre for Inquiry Canada
416-402-8856
http://www.cficanada.ca
View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/56315