Tory flip-flops on free vote.

I guess the moral is that it is better to flip-flop now than flop at the final poll. However it may be too little (or too much to believe) and too late as the momentum is already towards the Liberals. Perhaps Tory did the best he could do in a bad situation and has prevented it from getting worse.

Tory flip-flops on free vote

Oct 01, 2007 04:43 PM
Robert Benzie
Queen's Park Bureau Chief

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory today flip-flopped on his controversial $400 million scheme to fund faith-based school.

Tory told 150 people at an Economic Club luncheon that he has heard the criticism from Ontarians of his plan.

"I have always believed that listening to the people is at the very core of leadership," he said, admitting the policy has "become too much a source of division."

Given the widespread opposition to giving Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Christian and other religious schools the same funding as the public and Catholic systems, Tory backtracked on putting the issue to an MPPs' free vote.

"MPPs will be allowed a free vote, so they are at liberty to vote their conscience and represent the wishes of their constituent," he said.

"In this significant way, the public can be more involved in the decision making. They have expressed strong concerns and I have heard them."

Just last week, when Tory MPPs like Bill Murdoch of Owen Sound and Bob Runciman of Brockville said they were hearing from constituents that they were unhappy with the plan, Tory said there would be no free vote on the question.

The gambit comes as Ontarians get set to go to the polls on Oct. 10.

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty has opposed Tory's scheme as has NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

Tory's decision to water down his plan to fund religious schools doesn't change anything for voters, McGuinty said.

"The choice before Ontarians remains crystal clear. If you're looking for a party that is absolutely, unequivocal in its support for publicly funded education, if you're looking for a leader who will never ever take his eye off the two million students in publicly funded schools who are counting on us to give them all the support they need to achive academically and later as caring citizens, I'm that leader, this is our party," he told reporters at a campaign stop at Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank.