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The
Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) has released their platform
on education in which they publicly promise a 10%
reduction of tuition fees.
This is an important
achievement in the lobbying efforts of the Canadian Federation
of Students and also presents an opportunity to put pressure
on each party to make post-secondary education an important election
priority.
Below is a Toronto Star article making reference
to the NDP platform.
Please take
the time to write a short letter to the Toronto
Star editorial dept congratulating the NDP on their stance and
encouraging other parties to step up to the plate. email: editorial@thestar.com
You may also
consider sending a more specific letter to the Minister
and each of the Critics.
Rosario Marchese,
NDP Education Critic
email: rmarchese-qp@ndp.on.ca
Marie Bountrogianni,
Liberal Education Critic
email: marie_bountrogianni-mpp@ontla.ola.org
Dianne Cunningham,
Minister of Training Colleges and Universities
email: dianne_cunningham@ontla.ola.org
The
Toronto Star
Sep. 4, 2002. 01:00 AM
Education
plan targets rich
Hampton unveils NDP proposals
By Theresa Boyle
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU
Wealthy Ontarians
should pay more taxes and taxation powers should be returned to
school boards to fund initiatives such as $10-a-day child care,
provincial New Democrats say.
NDP Leader Howard
Hampton yesterday unveiled his party's $1.5 billion program for
education and pre-school, which calls for a 10 per cent cut to tuition
fees and full-time junior and senior kindergarten in every school
board.
"We believe
that this is the most important economic and social investment that
we can make and people with higher incomes can afford to make that
greater contribution," he told a news conference.
Hampton said
the Conservative government is bungling management of the education
system and major reforms are necessary to restore order.
"I believe
it's becoming evident to virtually everyone today that there's a
growing education gap in Ontario," he said, adding the Tory
government has made good on the strategy of its first education
minister, John Snobelen, who vowed to "create a crisis in education."
"Our public
schools have gone from one crisis to another for seven years,"
he said.
Some $1.2 billion
of the NDP's proposed investment would come from higher income taxes
levied on the wealthy. The NDP proposed the creation of two new
tax brackets - one for individuals earning $100,000 a year and another
for those earning $150,000. Hampton pointed out Ontarians earning
$64,700-a-year are taxed at the same rate as those with annual incomes
of $164,700.
"We believe
individuals with incomes above $100,000 should and can make a greater
contribution to close the growing education gap in Ontario,"
he said.
Hampton said
$300 million of the investment would come through the cancellation
of the Conservative government's tax cut to parents of children
enrolled in private schools.
As part of an
early-years strategy, the NDP is taking a pointer from Quebec, which
offers $5-a-day child care. The price for regulated child-care spaces
in Ontario should be lowered to $10-a-day, from the current $30.
The NDP plan
also calls for overhauling the education funding formula, eliminating
waiting lists for special education, and ensuring one principal
is stationed at every school.
Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited
source: Toronto
Star
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This
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