June 12, 1984 - Catholic Schools - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Ontario Premier William Davis announces full funding for Catholic schools. While Canada’s constitution has long allowed for some public schools to serve Quebec’s Protestant and Ontario’s Catholic children, Ontario’s public funding for its Catholic schools extended only to grade 10. In 1968, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) made it a priority to change that. For 16 years, the OECTA helped organize teachers, administrators, parents and students to address the imbalance of public funding. They did so through letter writing, workshops, meetings with members of the provincial Parliament, and even an annual booth at the Toronto National Exhibition. Politicians were divided over extending the funding. During the 1971 provincial election campaign, Progressive Conservative Premier William Davis spoke forcefully against any such funding. But unexpectedly, Davis publicly reversed his stance on June 12, 1984 with an announcement that his government would extend public funding of Catholic schools through to grade 13. With both the NDP and Liberal Parties also supporting this proposal, opponents of the idea could only criticize Davis and wait for another leader. Davis retired from politics and Frank Miller took over as the Progressive Conservative Premier. However, the following year Miller’s government was defeated, bringing down the 42-year Conservative dynasty with it. The non-Catholic electorate got used to the idea of full funding for public Catholic and Protestant schools in Ontario.

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