Crombie: Our schools and universities are in crisis because of Doug Ford’s deliberate choices
I know the surest bet we have as a province to improve our economy is through education, says Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie
My mother and grandparents came to this country because of its abundant opportunities. As new immigrants, they worked hard, pinched their pennies and did everything they could to ensure their only child could send her daughter to good public schools and universities.
I have the most distinct memory walking into The Globe and Mail building. My grandfather proudly worked there as a janitor in his coveralls for decades. He would’ve been so proud that I walked into the building in a pantsuit as an MP thanks to the chance I got from Ontario’s education system.
Quite simply, everything I achieved in my business and political career is possible because of the good schools — and great teachers — I had.
Sadly, today, our schools and universities are in crisis because of the deliberate choices of Doug Ford.
More than that, Ontario has an economic productivity issue. Under Ford’s leadership, the debt and deficit are up; business confidence and economic growth are down.
I know the surest bet we have as a province to improve our economy is through education.
Yet, we’ve seen ruthless cuts to education under this Conservative government. Since 2018, Doug Ford has effectively cut $1200 per pupil. After six years, parents watch their children's class sizes increase, schools become more cramped and run down, and special-needs accommodations become more inaccessible.
Ford’s also fought — and demoralized — our teachers, denying them fair wages.
We’re seeing a lack of skilled labour in our workforce and long periods of stagnant growth. A future Ontario Liberal government will make investments we need to actually begin the long process of repairing our schools and inspiring our students.
In the Toronto District School Board alone there is $4 billion worth of infrastructure repairs needed in schools, including asbestos remediation and proper air conditioning. Across communities, dozens of portables crowd out school playgrounds as teachers and students are forced to learn in drafty, cramped conditions.
Ontario used to be known for our high-quality education. Today, I speak to young people all the time and they tell me how furious they are about the opportunities they are missing out on because of Ford’s education cuts.
As those kids might say — spoiler alert: the solution to the very low growth in our economy isn’t more cuts to education. It’s to build the system back up so every Ontario student has the chance to learn, to shine and to succeed, fuelling our economy along the way.
More than just our struggling school system, students are desperate for excellent post-secondary opportunities and job training coming out of high school.
Yet, the Conservatives are presiding over a financial crisis in our universities. Reputable institutions like Queen's University have had to cut several of their courses and some faculties are on the brink of bankruptcy. An Ontario Liberal government would fund our universities to deliver affordable and high-quality education.
There’s a perverse dynamic about Ford’s premiership: while he’s defunded just about every crucial public service, he remains the biggest spending government in history. Where is all the money going? The deficit is exploding, to nearly $10 billion dollars and Ford’s Premier's Office is the most expensive in history.
With Doug Ford, he isn’t putting our public services — and certainly not our education system — first. He’s rewarding his wealthy, well-connected insiders. Selling off the Greenbelt, blowing a billion dollars to line the pockets of the big grocers and brewers, privatizing ServiceOntario and bringing in for-profit healthcare: these are his priorities. The crisis he is creating in education is an old playbook by Ontario Conservatives: it’s all about creating more privatization.
Our education system can’t be fixed overnight, but when Ontario Liberals form government, we’ll start steering in the right direction. We’ll fund our schools, colleges, training programs and universities. We’ll make our schools great places to learn. And we’ll ensure that every child who gets the grades gets to go to the post-secondary option of their choice, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Education is important to me personally. It’s critical to Ontario’s economy. But Doug Ford doesn’t get it.
I do.
Together, let’s make Ontario’s schools once again the best in the English-speaking world.
Bonnie Crombie is the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and the former mayor of Mississauga. We invited Ontario’s three opposition leaders to submit an op ed on a topic of their choice.