Education in Ontario is divided into four distinct systems; English Public, English Catholic, French Public, and French Catholic. We are all very proud of the high quality education students receive in the province. As overall enrolment has declined however, pressures associated with maintaining these parallel systems has increased. This has led to a costly competition between these different school boards to attract a dwindling number of students. It has also resulted in school closings in every part of the province.

The fact that two of these publicly-funded systems are meant for just one religious denomination has prompted even the United Nations Human Rights committee to point out that this situation is “discriminatory.”

There is a movement gaining momentum across the province. A campaign has started to encourage the politicians in Ontario to consider an alternative to the current, outdated model of four parallel school systems.

The proposal is to move to one secular school system offered in each official language—English and French.

Ontario has an opportunity to engage in a conversation about the future of a publicly-funded education system that best represents our diversity, promotes inclusivity, and is accessible to all of our children. It is time to talk about ending the administrative duplication between school systems and the wasteful competition between those systems to attract students. The financial resources eaten up by that duplication and competition would be far better utilized providing our students with the supports they need. After all, it is 2016.

You are invited to join the conversation. You can send a message asking the decision-makers in the Ontario government to be bold and have the courage to create one public school system in each official language—a system that’s modern, progressive and fair. Other provinces have made the change and seen the benefits. Now it’s Ontario’s turn.

Find out more about the Charter for Public Education and consider signing on to register your voice to start a conversation about modernizing education in Ontario.

You can learn more at onepublicsystem.ca.