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From: acton@ubc-cs.UUCP (Donald Acton)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: The new equal rights rule
Message-ID: <1044@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 1-May-85 22:16:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: ubc-cs.1044
Posted: Wed May  1 22:16:03 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 2-May-85 13:31:47 EDT
References: <262@looking.UUCP> <610@lsuc.UUCP> <491@mnetor.UUCP> <1043@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: acton@ubc-cs.UUCP (Donald Acton)
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 49
Summary: 

In article <1043@ubc-cs.UUCP> manis@ubc-cs.UUCP (Vince Manis) writes:
>The point of this whole discussion is one I've made before: the intent of
>the Charter is to provide equality of opportunity, and to *prevent*
>infringing on people's rights.
>

The concept of equality of opportunity is very nice but probably not 
something that can be achieved without even greater government involvement
in all aspects of our society.

As an example consider the equality of opportunity in all levels of 
education. I personally feel that students from the rural regions 
(ie the boondocks) of this country are greatly discriminated against when
it comes to attending university. The direct costs of attending university 
for someone from Prince George are quite a bit greater than for someone
who can live at home and attend a nearby institution. There is the added cost
of moving to and from the University, the extra room and board costs
associated with not living at home plus the cost of the trip home 
at Christmas. All of this weighs heavily on the decision to attend university
versus getting a job and equality of opportunity won't even be close to
existing until all the extra costs I have outlined are eliminated.

But one doesn't even need to look at such a big ticket item like university
education. One can find all sorts of inequities between the public schools 
in the major urban centres versus those in the outlying regions. Many of 
these smaller schools don't have some of the following facilities: auto
mechanics shops, band instructors, wood working shops, metal work
shops, home economics labs, proper chemistry labs and/or access to pools and
arenas. The high school that I went to had all of these facilities but 
the one my cousins on Northern Vancouver Island attended had none. Did
we really have the same educational opportunities? I think most of us 
would agree that we didn't. The only two ways my narrow mind can see to 
provide some degree of equality would be to:

           1) Centralize schools and make students like my cousin
              move away from home.

           2) Build all of the above described facilities so that they 
              are easily available to the schools in each school district.

To me both of these approaches are unacceptable. The first solution
is too dictatorial and limits the freedom of where one my live and the 
second is too costly and an inefficient use of tax dollars.

The intent of the Charter to provide equality of opportunity is one thing,
but what really happens in practice is another. I guess we will all have to 
wait and see what happens.

     Donald Acton