Canadian province to fight ruling booting students from Catholic schools

Last updated on: May 7, 2017 at 9:28 am by CNA Daily News

Canadian province to fight ruling booting students from Catholic schools 2017-05-07T09:28:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Regina, Canada, May 7, 2017 / 03:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Saskatchewan government has said it will seek a temporary exemption to block a judge’s ruling that could force up to 10,000 students out of Catholic schools because they are not Catholic.

“We support school choice, including public, separate and faith-based schools,” Premier Brad Wall said, adding, “We will defend school choice for students and parents.”

He responded to a ruling that barred taxpayer funding for non-Catholic students at Catholic schools. Besides the Catholic schools, the ruling could affect 26 other faith-based schools, including a school for Muslim students.

Premier Wall said that the use of the exemption, called a notwithstanding clause, will protect the rights of students and parents “to choose the schools that work best for their families, regardless of their religious faith.”

The notwithstanding clause allows Canadian provinces to create laws that operate in spite of charter rights that the laws appear to violate. The temporary use of the clause can be renewed every five years.

On April 20, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donald Layh ruled that any provincial government funding would violate Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the state’s duty of religious neutrality, and equality rights.

The decision concerned a lawsuit between a public school division and the Christ the Teacher Catholic Separate School Division.

It challenged the creation of a separate school division in 2003 in the village of Theodore, 130 miles northeast of Regina, before the village’s public school closed.

Some parents of non-Catholic students decided to send their children to the local Catholic school instead of busing them to a public school in another town.

The local public school division filed a legal complaint against the Catholic school division and the provincial government in 2005. The complaint charged that the funding was unconstitutional and wrongly put the Catholic school in the role of a public school. Funding of non-Catholic students at the Catholic school constituted discrimination against public schools, the complaint said.

The complaint also charged that a new school division was wrongly created to prevent the public school from closing.

The ruling was to have taken effect in July 2018.

Leader of the Opposition Trent Wotherspoon backed the government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, but said the government should have mediated a solution during the long period in which the case was considered by the courts.

The notwithstanding clause was last invoked in the year 2000, when Quebec used the clause in laws involving religious schools and schools for indigenous students. The Alberta province also invoked the clause.

Americas

Previous Post

May 6, 2017

Cardinal Farrell: Let's talk about the beauty of the family

Next Post

May 7, 2017 Pope urges new priests to serve with joy, never sadness

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a donkey that spoke to rebuke my master, a prophet. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A prophet's beast Balaam's donkey A miracle donkey A talking animal