Teachers,

trustees oppose aid to independent schools

Cont’d from pg. 1

Schools Support Act. He also
Moved that a resolution of op-
Position to the legislation be for-
Warded to the trustees convention.

Jones warned that passage of the
bill would mean a loss of local

Public control and noted that

funding for independent schools
would entail increased costs to the
local taxpayer or diminish support
for the present public educational
System. .

Neither could be supported by
the board, he suggested.

Trustee Elsie Dean voiced
“alarm” at the specific features of
the proposed legislation and
warned particularly of the im-
Plications of certain appeal
procedures.

She was referring to Section 12 of
the bill which provides that, if a
‘local support grant” is given to an
Independent school and the school
board wants subsequently to
reduce or discontinue the grant,
the independent school authority
may appeal to the minister whose
decision is final. Local boards
Would, in such cases, be virtually
Stripped of*control.

All five Burnaby trustees voted
to oppose the legislation although
chairman Jones will consult with
all members of the board before
the letter to premier Bennett is
Sent.

A similar motion urging that
public money be used solely for
public education and calling for

4

BILL BROADLEY ... outlines
BCTF position.

MAC BLO

Cont'd from pg. 1
admissions and to have answers to
questions such as:

“Who were the ‘one or more
S0vernment -employees’ who
‘might have received something of
value’ from a MacMillan Bloedel
agent, and what was done with the
‘something of value’?

“Who was the ‘principal
executive officer of the govern-
ment-controlled purchasing cor-
poration’ who received money
‘Possibly for political or personal
Use’? Who received this money and
Was it for political purposes or
Corrupt practices?

“What political contributions
Were made and did government
Officials or employees receive
funds from MacMillan Bloedel
during this period?”

Pointing out that the Tribune is
amazed at the lack of response
from the government, opposition
Parties, and the media to these

. Startling admissions by MacMillan

Bloedel, Rush says this silence
Cannot be condoned and calls for a
Public inquiry to answer the
questions in the public’s mind, and
to disclose the full extent of
Irregularities.

Copies of the letter to the
Premier and a covering press
Telease have been sent out to the
Media across the province, who

_ have so far almost totally ignored

the shocking admissions by B.C.’s
largest corporation. :

withdrawal of Bill 33 was endorsed
by the Coquitlam School Board ina
5 to 2 vote Tuesday night.

A letter under the signature of
board chairman Gwen Chute will
go to the premier in addition to a
resolution opposing the legislation
which will be raised at the B.C.
School Trustees convention
scheduled for later this month.

Other school boards are ex- ;

pected to raise the issue, including
the Vancouver School-Board which
will be looking at the legislation at
its March 18 meeting. The Com-
mittee of Progressive Electors is

‘slated to appear before the

meeting.
Delegates to the Home and
School Federation annual meeting,

scheduled for April 15 and 16 will.

also be discussing the con-
troversial bill.

One of thefirst groups to voice its
concern over Bill 33 and the
proposal to fund private, in-
dependent’ schools was the B.C.
Teachers’ Federation which had
announced a news conference to
outline a campaign against the
legislation at Tribune press time.

BCTF president Bill Broadley, :

however, spoke at length to the
Tribune last week, elaborating on
the Federation’s opposition to
funding of independent schools.

“Our stand is unequivocal,” he
declared. ‘“‘Public money should be
for public schools.”

Broadley said that he was ap-
palled that there had not been
widespread opposition to the In-
dependent Schools Support Act
immediately upon its introduction
in the Legislature since the bill
“suddenly changes 105 years of
tradition in the field of education.”

Unlike many other provinces,
British Columbia did not have an
established system of religious
schools at the time of Con-
federation and, in fact, the prin-
ciple of free, non-sectarian
education had been embodied in
the Act Respecting Common
Schools passed by the Vancouver
Island Legislature in 1865.

Roman Catholic petitioners did
seek in 1911 to be exempted from
taxation for school purposes on the
basis that they did not use the
public school system and therefore
should not be obliged to pay for it,
but the Legislature did not
recognize the validity of their
arguments.

Ironically, it was a similar
argument, advanced by the
Federation of Independent Schools
Associations (FISA), which
brought pressure to bear on the
present Social Credit government
and led to the proposed legislation.

“The intensive lobby put on by
FISA has obviously been suc-
cessful,” Broadley stressed, ‘“‘and
the bogey of double taxation which
the group has consistently raised
has also obviously been successful

in confusing many people.”’

Parents who send their children
to independent schools have long
insisted that since they do not use
the public school system, they
should not be compelled to pay
school taxes. :

The BCTF president. pointed to
the fallacy of the double taxation
argument, noting that there are
several instances whereby citizens
pay taxes for services which they
themselves do not use.

“Pyblic transit is one example,
for those people who drive cars and
do not use it,’’ he said.

Conversely, he noted, those
people who do not drive a car must
still pay taxes for roads. |

“What must be understood,” he
emphasized, is that the taxes.
people pay are not fees for specific
purposes. Unfortunately, too many

of
Legislative Assembly

tr
Honourable = mn

Go vernment Bill

Ni
second Session, Thirt first parliament

Columbia

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Minister ©

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS SUPPORT ACT

change 105 years of tradition.”

people have accepted
arguments.”

Of central concern to the
teachers’ federation, however, is
the whole concept of publicly-
supported independent schools and
the problems that such a concept
creates. :

Broadley cited the remarks of
former Victoria high school
principal and author Peter Smith
who stated that separate schools
were “a fundamentally. divisive
concept’? and declared his
agreement. ,

“Democratic society must have
public schools. They are the
essential means by which every
person can integrate into society.

“Separate schools lead to
division, and separatism,’’ he
stressed.

The experience of Newfoundland

gives substance to Broadley’s
remarks since the school system

FISA’s

. would “suddenly

_ Withdrawal of Bill 33 urged

has proposed that direct aid be
given to independent schools, even
though such aid will mean a
greater fragmentation of the
‘educational system — and, once
‘given, will be irrevocable.

‘The British North America Act
provides that, once a system of
separate schools is established ina

- province — and funding of in-

dependent schools implies that —
an appeal can be ‘made to the
federal government should the
rights of the independent schools
be in any way abridged or any
financial aid withdrawn or
reduced.

Moreover, specific features of
Bill 33 are cause for particular
concern since the legislation is
unlike any other presently in
existence anywhere in the country,
contrary to the introductory
statements of education minister
Pat McGeer who argued that
British Columbia was only getting
into line with the practice in other
provinces.

More than anything, however,
the proposed legislation would
compromise a _ fundamental
principle -.of -+this province’s
educational system: public funds
are for public education.

“Tt would suddenly change 105
years of tradition,” BCTF
president Broadley reiterated.

. “The legislation should be with-

prior to 1969 was based on various
religious denominations.

The proliferation of religious
schools — many of which had only
one room and covered several
grades — not only brought severe
fragmentation to the education
system but it also gave students an
inferior education.

A Royal Commission on
education noted in 1965: ‘“‘The basis
duplication of services has left and
is still leaving hundreds of children

to a hopeless future.”

Finally, in 1969, faced with
inadequate facilities and inferior,
costly education, the various
separate schools agreed volun-
tarily to amalgamate many of
their services even though it meant
surrendering some of their in-
dependence.

Despite that experience —
paralleled in some other provinces
— the Social Credit government

drawn.”

ZAIRE

Cont'd from pg. 1
served as base of operations for the
CIA-backed FNLA of Roberto
Holdom. Many of the Katangese
soldiers had been forced into exile -
and had served with the MPLA in
Angola.

Time magazine reported last
week that the Katangese forces
had encircled Kolwezi, centre of a
$500 million U.S. power project and
where the Belgian Gecamines
Company extracts more than half
of Zaire’s copper. Should Kolwezi
fall, Mobutu will have a difficult
time in holding on to power, Time
observed.

Latest. reports indicate that
French government officials have
begun talks with the FNLC in Paris
in an attempt to reach a com-
promise with the insurgents.

Water sellout to U.S. hit

Cont'd from pg. 1

Columbia River Treaty and later
resigned and fought the treaty,
condemned the export of power. He
said the export of water- would be
an even bigger betrayal of
Canada’s interests.

“Tf power was difficult to
repatriate, once exported, water
will be impossible. It would be
inconceivable to allow the U.S. to
build population centres with
irrigation projects and industrial
complexes based on Canadian
water, then hope to shut off this
supply when it is needed in’
Canada. The lessons of the past
indicate beyond any doubt that a
basic reserve, once contracted for
export, is lost to Canada.”’

Warning that there is a greater
danger today that attempts will be
made to divert B.C. water to the
U.S., Morgan said the political
situation has changed drastically
since the federal and provincial
governments were compelled by
public opinion a few years ago to
abandon water export schemes.

“For one thing, the old Socred
gang is back in power in Victoria,
and one of the main architects of
the Columbia River sellout, Robert
Bonner, is in a key position as
chairman of B.C. Hydro to work
through schemes to sell B.C.
water. It’s significant that he is the
principal figure in secret talks at
present, and it is also certain that
he would not have gone into these
talks without an agreement with
premier Bill Bennett, whose father
was the chief mover behind the
Columbia River sellout.

‘‘Another factor,’’ said Morgan,

‘Ss that therehas been a change in |

Ottawa’s position. The present
Liberal government in recent
months has moved sharply to the
right and has bent over backwards
to accommodate U.S. policies. This
is seen in the lifting of restrictions
on U.S. takeovers in Canada, and
‘in our arms program and foreign
policy. It’s most likely that Ottawa
officials are kept informed, if they
are not directly involved, in the

secret talks going on at present.

‘‘A third important factor is the
drive being launched by the US. to
solve its energy and water
problems by pressuring Canada
for larger imports to the U.S. of
natural gas, oil, hydro and now
water. The shortage of clean water
in the U.S. has added to the
pressure on B.C. It’s not that the
U.S. is short of water. It’s rather a

‘matter of the U.S. having misused

its water and polluted it, and now
wants huge quantities of clean
water from B.C. to meet their
needs.”

Morgan said the public-.in B.C.
should firmly condemn any plan to
export B.C.’s water to the U.S. We
must demand that present
negotiations be halted and that
under no circumstances should
Canada or B.C. enter into deals to
sell irreplaceable water resources
needed for Canada’s present and
future needs and which once sold
could never be recovered.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 15, 1977—Page 3