I appreciate Monika Ferenczy's letter of last week clarifying that the French Language school opening in Orangeville is a French First Language school offered by the Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest. Thankfully, this is a French Public school board, not a French Catholic school board.

The French Catholic boards, like the English Catholic boards, discriminate against people who are not Catholic in both enrolment and employment.

There are 4 French public boards, and 8 French Catholic boards in Ontario. Of the approximately 400 schools offered by these boards, only about 150 are public schools. Our Ontario government needs to amend the Constitution, or simply amend the Education Act, so that no publicly funded schools, whether they are English or French First Language, discriminate against anyone on the basis of their religion.

In the French system, this refusal to treat all people equally is especially reprehensible, as Catholicism is by far the majority religion amongst French speaking Ontarians.

Paula Conning Coordinator,

Education Equality in

Ontario,

Orangeville and Area

Chapter paula@oneschoolsystem.org