Ontario Politics: Bill 52

Let me just say that I have thought that the mandatory age of school attendance should be raised from age 16 to 18 for quite sometime (despite the fact that I left school at the age of 17), but I think that this bill goes too far.

For one, compliance with the education act becomes a requirement for an individual under the age of 18 to obtain his/her driver's license. I suppose that the Liberal logic is that "it's for their own good", but restricting privileges when a person is not attending school should be the role of the parent, not the government. If the individual has withdrawn from parental control, there are still sufficient measures (fines, etc.) that can be taken to persuade this individual that he/she would be better off to comply with the education act. Also, in rural areas, having a driver's license is nearly a necessity. A trip to the grocery store could be 20 km for some, and in rural areas we do not have public transit. I suppose that a primarily urban based party such as the Ontario Liberal Party would not understand this.

Also, many home-schooled students may not be eligible for a driver's license under this act. A home-schooled student is required to get the signature of a representative from a school board on a document that states that he/she is being educated properly at home in order to be eligible for a driver's license. Certain representatives may not be willing to sign this document because of their feelings surrounding home-schooling.

I agree with the thought that the mandatory age of school attendance should be raised to 18, but making compliance a requirement for a person's driver's license is simply going too far.