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The Citizen, 1996-04-17, Page 4Letters THE EDITOR, It was with a great deal of disappointment that I read Paul Carroll's (and Roxanne Brown's) "letter to all Friends of the Huron Public Education System". While I have no doubt Mr. Carroll has a genuine concern for what is best for the Public School System, I am disappointed that he is misrepresenting the cause of "the other parties" with whom he is suggesting an amalgamation. When Carroll suggests establishing a "single school board for Huron County, one that provides for all sectors and protects the language and religious rights of all parties", he maim, at worst, a dishonest, and at best, a naive gesture. While I cannot speak for the Huron Perth Separate School system, I can speak for the Clinton and District Christian School in Clinton when I advise Mr. Carroll that, under the present structure, a unified school board will not be an acceptable way to govern a Christian school. The difficulty is that, in Ontario, government funding always comes with obligations. In Ontario, these obligations often take the form "rules concerning equality of accessibility". While such equality may be the cornerstone of the public school system, it is not, and cannot be, the same for the Christian school system. A Christian school, such as CDCS, needs to protect its charter (as does any organization) by excluding those (families and teachers) who would like to use the school, but who cannot agree with the fundamentals of its charter. Is there room in Mr. Carroll's single school board for a Christian school that for fundamental reasons must maintain the right to discriminate in the areas of hiring and admissions? The Christian school has always professed to be teaching that the Christian faith is to be lived, not only in personal devotions, but in work and play, that is to say in all areas of life. The result, with God's blessing, is a Christian lifestyle for students. In Mr. Carroll's single school system, will the Christian School retain the right to establish its own "Christian curriculum"? Will the Christian school even be able to retain the name "Christian"? The Christian school is a Photo by Bonnie Gropp minority group organization in Clinton whose members believe that, if they are to protect the integrity of their school, they must retain their right to establish the school's guidelines for hiring, admissions and curriculum. For the past 34 years, often in the face of personal economic hardship, they have believed this concept so strongly that they have willingly paid for the maintaining and the running of the Clinton Christian School without any help from the province. These Christian pioneers have steadily resisted, and will continue to resist the attempted encroachment of the provincial government on their religious freedom. At the same time the government and its Ministry of Education have institutionalized an unjust, monolithic system of public education. Despite many provinces doing the contrary, Ontario refuses to fund any school system but the Catholic and the public (secular). Mr. Carroll's single school board may sound like a good idea to those who presently use the public school system. It may even sound interesting to those who anticipate some form of government funding for the Christian school. But at what price? My challenge to all 'Friends of Continued on page 6 O C itizen quNEA The North Huron an RIBBON AWARD 1995 The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($23.37 + $1.63 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 + $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-o'-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and $75.00/year for other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM HIO NOG 1H0 Phono 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager, FAX 523.9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1996 One promise to forget • As the federal Liberal government under Jean Chrotien reaches the midpoint of its mandate, pressure is building for it to carry out one of its promises: the replacement of the Goods and Services Tax. Unless some better ideas come up than those already on the table, however, the government might be better to leave bad enough alone. Few taxes have ever been as hated as the GST. It was, in retrospect, the public relations fiasco of Brian Mulroney's term in government. Ironically, while the tax helped the Liberals to a landslide win in the 1994 election, it also fueled the anti-tax feelings among Canadians that has led to the election of tough, budget-slashing governments like Mike Harris's Ontario Progressive Conservative government. Doubly ironic, Harris's PCs now hold the key to Chrdtien being able to "replace" the GST with a national sales tax, combining both provincial and federal taxes. If Harris continues to refuse to co-operate, the Liberals go into the next election crucified by the opposition parties for not keeping their promise on the hated tax. There is something to be said for the Liberals' plan. Collecting one sales tax instead of two would be more efficient than the current system with both provinces and the federal government taxing sales and would save millions of dollars. There's also a suggestion that, like the federal sales tax the GST replaced, this new tax would be included in the price. The bad side of this is it hides the tax so people don't know how much they're paying. The good side is that it doesn't hit consumers in the face and make them think twice about buying. There's reasons to suspect the GST helped deepen the recession that still hasn't completely let go of the country. But while there are savings to the proposal, there are also costs, including what is effectively a new tax on many items. Many items, such as books and this newspaper, that are currently exempt from the Provincial Sales Tax, would suddenly have a 15 per cent tax instead of the current seven per cent GST. There is even an argument from some people who want to see the tax extended onto things like food. It would be nice if the GST would just go away (and the PST too, for that matter) but it won't — unless you accept the Reform Party proposition to cut an additional $18 billion in federal spending. Unless somebody comes up with a better proposal, breaking their promise may be bad for the Liberals, but best for the Canadian public. — KR Time to question OPP One of the lasting effects of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union strike will be the inquiry into the actions of the Ontario Provincial Police riot squad in clearing a path to the Legislative Building through striking workers by using nightsticks. Ironically, while this incident brought swift response from the government, many other actions of OPP tactical squads are still getting little attention. Maybe it's the power of seeing violence on TV that brings political will. The government has not, for instance, agreed to an inquiry into the actions of the OPP in the shooting last September of a native among those occupying Ipperwash Provincial Park. Earlier this year there were two cases when an OPP tactical squad invaded private homes of innocent people, terrorizing them. In one they claimed to have had a tip drugs were on the premises then eventually apologized saying they had made a mistake. In the other, they said they had a tip that a man sought in a murder investigation was in the house. They broke in doors in the middle of the night, threw people on the floor and screamed questions at these frightened people who didn't know anything about the man sought. Instead of apologizing, they charged the homeowners with improper storage of a fire arm and possession of drugs for a small amount of marijuana, found among the effects of their son who had died recently. (The charges were later withdrawn.) These special squads have a tough job. Those who have seen them in action know they run on adrenaline in dangerous situations. But the OPP has a history of shooting first, asking questions later that goes back more than a decade when two innocent people were killed. The Metro Toronto squad, meanwhile, has seldom even fired a bullet, It's time to ask some questions of the OPP special squads so more innocent people aren't terrorized, or worse, killed. — KR E ditorial