Bruce Grey Owen Sound's MPP slammed Education Minister Mitzie Hunter's plan to have Liberal Party members visit communities hit with school closures to have conversations.
In the Legislature Wednesday, Bill Walker said "listening" will not stop the ongoing loss of rural schools, with nearly half of all rural schools shut down by the liberals since 2003.
He said there were 670 rural and northern schools back then, but now there are about 420.
Walker said the only way to sincerely address the concerns of rural residents is to announce a moratorium, fix the school funding formula, and reinstate the community impact component.
He said the education minister's refusal to do that shows she has no intention of listening.
“If the minister believed in trust, collaboration and transparency, then she would have invited all elected representatives, not made this tour a Liberal-only invite," said Walker.
“The minister blew the public’s trust once before when she failed to consult them on the new accommodation rules, resulting in possibly as many as 600 more school closures in Ontario,” Walker said. “Considering there is a serious deficit of trust and credibility with this Minister and her government, why should they trust her now?”
“Sadly, after 14 years of waste, mismanagement, and scandal, your government is trying to balance the books on the backs of our students by fast-tracking school closures,” he said. “But, please be assured, my colleagues and I will not give up the fight. It’s never too late to do the right thing!”