Catholics Rule!

[rah]

When I grew up the Catholic School was a private school. The difference being, you didn't pay tuition to a public school but you did to a private school.

[Wezil]

Public education and religion are horribly entwined here Rah.

[Asher]

Public education and religion are horribly entwined here Rah.

Constitutionally.

Both systems are publicly funded in Canada.

[rah]

Public education and religion are horribly entwined here Rah.

Didn't know. I assumed it was the same as it was here. Hence why I gave a definition in case it wasn't.

[Wezil]

It's done differently from one province to the other and we could spend a month on the differences alone. Essentially, as Asher points out, religious education is Constitutionally mandated in various ways and means. Fixing this historic problem requires Constitutional change which is the "third rail" of Canadian politics. It's a problem without a solution.

[rah]

Separation of Church and State actually works on this issue down here. (or at least reasonably well)

[Asher]

It's not a terribly big deal because there's always a public (non-religious) district available. There's just also usually a separate district, either Catholic or Protestant. The parents choose where the kids go.

The reason we have this stupid ****ing system traces back to Quebec, a source of all of life's problems.

[Wezil]

It's becoming a bigger deal again however with the increasing number of non-christian immigrants and communities. The unfairness of supporting one religious education system but not others is obvious. As you recall John Tory got burned on this issue in the last provincial election. To address the unfairness he proposed extending funding to other religious schools (the easier, if more costly approach) rather than try the Constitution route and remove the privilege from Catholics.

[Wezil]

Separation of Church and State actually works on this issue down here. (or at least reasonably well)

It's really not as big an issue here as it would seem either. The argument is more of funding and organization than it is of ideology or faith. I suspect it's because as you've seen from other threads on the issue, Canadians don't really believe the religious BS anymore. Even those that identify as religious (my parents for example) are lucky if they make it to church once a month. They believe because they were told to.

Religion is rarely, if ever, an issue in Canadian politics. We don't care what our politicians religious beliefs are and (unlike the US) there is no required election photo op of them going to church. We don't care.

A noticeable exception would be Stockwell Day, former leader of the Canadian Alliance (lost 2000 election to Jean Chretien) and current Conservative Party cabinet minister. He's a "dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time" sort of fundie. You can't help but point and laugh.

[rah]

I wasn't talking about politicians, I was referring to the difference between private and public schools only. And with that limitation, it does work well. If you want to give your kids a religious education, you have to pay for it yourself.

[Asher]

As it should be.

[Felch]

The reason we have this stupid ****ing system traces back to Quebec, a source of all of life's problems.

Thomas Jefferson agreed.

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

It's kind of coded, but it's referring to Quebec's special status after the French and Indian War.

[Wezil]

I wasn't talking about politicians, I was referring to the difference between private and public schools only. And with that limitation, it does work well. If you want to give your kids a religious education, you have to pay for it yourself.

You did mention separation of church and state. I was pointing out that although it seems entwined in that respect here, it actually isn't. It's not like catholics are getting special treatment in laws or government.

I agree with the idea that religious schools should be paid by the parents if that is their choice. Catholics in Ontario (again this argument differs across provinces) would argue they are doing just that as the education is paid through their taxes.

[Asher]

Back when the system was first implemented, at least in Alberta, that's exactly what happened. Catholics, in a community where the Catholics (as a whole) voted to have a separate district, were forced to fund their district separately. They didn't have to fund the other district, but 100% of their educational taxes went to the catholic school district.

Now, to simplify things, in the mid 1990s all educational funding comes from the provincial pool with a per-student stipend.

[Wezil]

Ontario's history is similar.

School boards used to be funded through property taxes with the taxpayer directing which board their money was to go to.

Education is now funded at the provincial level with the province doling out the cash equitably between the two boards based upon enrollment.