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Freedom Party of Ontario

- MEDIA RELEASE -

For immediate release



Education and Leadership - Election 2007

John Tory Pulls a Pontius Pilate

Washing his hands of decision on funding private religious schools
is not an act of leadership: McKeever

October 1, 2007, London, Ontario - Freedom Party of Ontario leader Paul McKeever (candidate for London West) says John Tory has abandoned both sides of the religious school funding debate.  At a speech today to the Economic Club of Toronto, Tory announced, in effect, that the Progressive Conservative party no longer will have an official stand on the issue of funding for private religious schools: there will be a free vote on whether to pass legislation requiring taxpayers to pay for private religious schools.

"Washing ones hands of a decision is not an act of leadership", says McKeever. 

"It is right for parents to have the power to decide what schools their children attend.  It is wrong for parents to be forced to pay for pay for schools that their children do not attend.

"For the Progressive Conservative party now to have no official position on whether to support or defeat public funding for private religious schools is an act not of leadership, but of political expediency and cowardice.  John Tory is flushing his commitment to principled leadership in a vain effort to save his political backside.

"Freedom Party's position on this matter remains clear and unwavering: 'yes' to parental choice in schooling, but 'no' to making parents pay for schools that their children do not attend."



This media release distributed to all major news media and blogs.


Freedom Party of Ontario
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Tel: 1-800-830-3301
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