TORONTO (AP) – The Lord’s Prayer and it’s fate in the Ontario legislature set off a fresh round of debate Thursday after politicians quietly launched public consultation on whether the province should fall in line with other Canadian jurisdictions and strike the Christian tradition.

As an all-party committee prepares to hear from hundreds of faith groups, atheists, and members of the public, there is already a clear division between those who think opening the daily proceedings with the Lord’s Prayer is outdated and those who consider it a vital Ontario tradition.

Premier Dalton McGuinty set the stage for the debate in February, announcing the governing Liberals want to open daily legislative debate with a prayer that is more inclusive and reflective of Ontario’s multiculturalism.

Ontario is more than just “Protestants and Catholics today,” he said at the time.