Green leader calls for fair hiring practices in Ontario schools

Toronto – Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner made the following statement after attending the Ontario Public Service Pride Network pride month celebration: 
“It is wrong that our tax dollars fund a school system that discriminates in hiring based on sexual orientation and religious affiliation.
 
In Ontario, Catholic schools are allowed to use public dollars to discriminate in hiring against LGBTQ teachers.
 
Everyone should be able to take pride in who they are at work. We should hire people based on their qualifications, not their sexual orientation or religion. 
 
This is especially true for publicly funded institutions. But unfortunately, this is not the case in our education system.
 
Twice the United Nations Human Rights Committee has censured Canada for discrimination because Ontario funds one religious school system at the exclusion of all others.
 
The Premier spoke eloquently about equal rights at today’s Ontario Public Service Pride Network celebration. These words are not enough if we don’t back them with action to ensure a positive space in all public and broader public sector work places. 
 
It is time to end discrimination in Ontario’s public schools. It is time to merge the best of the Catholic and public school systems. It is time for a fair, fiscally responsible public school system in both languages.”
 
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