For the second time this summer (this past Wednesday), the former Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis, has attacked his party and the job they're doing on education.

Davis is at odds with the Eves government on the following issues:

• School Reform: Criticism of the Harris/Eves top-down approach: "My humble opinion has always been that those people who are affected by changes in education are the ones who have to implement it. If they have to implement it, they have to be part of the discussion [on what changes to make]."
• The Crippling of School Boards: "One of the things that I endeavoured to do when I was minister of education was to involve the profession, the trustees as much as I could.”
• Right to Strike: It was Davis who gave teachers the right to strike in the first place, back in 1975. Now Eves wants to ban it. Davis’s Wednesday speech was at the annual meeting in Toronto of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, which can’t really be a coincidence.
• Private Schools: Eves wants to provide tax breaks to private schools, essentially funding them in part. Davis is a firm supporter of public schools who would not fund private schools during his tenure. Now he says "We've had independent schools, private schools. All I am saying is the foundation in this province has always been the public school and public-separate school systems."
• Prioritization of Education, in general: "If you want a strong economy, a strong social structure, there's no more relevant investment that you can make than in the field of education, because that's where it has its beginnings, that's where it's nurtured, and that to me is a fundamental truth that no one can argue."

In the end, Davis rightly feels that education is incredibly important for this province. He also seems to be saying that Mike Harris and Ernie Eves have been bungling it massively.

I make no apologies for my point of view that public education has been and will continue to be the fundamental cornerstone of the economic and social growth of the province of Ontario and of the country.

So, if the former premier feels so strongly about this issue, how far is he willing to go? It doesn’t sound like he’s going to be voting for his party. If he was willing to say so -- maybe in a television commercial? -- he could guarantee the victory of another party, one that’s willing to support education. So, why not do it? The future of our province is worth it, Bill!

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