I’ve already had two local candidates running in the upcoming federal election knock at my door and we’re sure you’ve already experienced this phenomenon too! Federal campaigning is well underway and you will likely have many opportunities to speak with candidates and MP’s in the coming months. We encourage you to take the opportunity to let them know you consider publicly funded schools an integral part of our public infrastructure.
Potential conversation starters:
- Federal money is being designated for transit and even community hubs such as curling rinks and hockey arenas…it would be great to see publicly funded school buildings receiving similar infrastructure funding from the federal government. While we recognize that public education is a provincial responsibility, the school buildings in which education takes place represent critical public infrastructure that we believe should be able to benefit from funding from all levels of government.
- Vancouver public schools struggle with $740-million of disrepair plus need seismic upgrades to make them safe in case of earthquakes; Ontario’s publicly funded schools have a total of $15.9-billion of disrepair … so from east to west in this country, there is disrepair in our country’s publicly funded schools that must be addressed.
- The federal government is responsible for First Nations education and schools and there is notable disrepair, lack of clean water and sanitation in many schools on First Nations reserves. There is also an absence of schools within a reasonable distance for many First Nations students.
Potential questions:
- Do you view publicly funded schools as an important part of this country’s public infrastructure?
- Do you believe all Canadian children, including those living on First Nations reserves, ought to be educated in safe, healthy, well-maintained publicly funded school buildings?
- Would you consider accessing federal infrastructure dollars to address disrepair in Canada’s publicly funded school buildings?
We hope this makes it easy for you to engage with politicians and candidates during this federal election campaign. Please email us additional questions or conversation starters to share!