Public Schools in Saskatchewan Update
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/06/26
Global News reported on the public school boards in Saskatchewan.
The Public Schools of Saskatchewan wants a larger discussion on the future of education. This is stated as being needed after the ruling from the year before regarding the funding through the province of non-Catholic students who attend the Catholic schools.
The article stated, “In the Theodore case, a judge ruled the Saskatchewan government’s funding of non-Catholic students at Catholic schools violated the state’s duty of religious neutrality under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, along with equality rights.”
The association sent an appeal. Now, the provincial government continues to use the notwithstanding clause of the charter to permit the continued funding practices already in place.
The Executive Director of the Public Schools of Saskatchewan Norm Dray stated, “Bill 89 essentially says that in order to maintain the current funding practice, our government is willing to ignore the two sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms identified in the court ruling but also three sections of the Human Rights Code of Canada.”
He, on behalf of the organization, thinks that the Theodore decision uses an extraordinary circumstance to warrant the provincial government work outside of both the human rights code and the charter. Strong words.
Now, the government is looking to transition the non-Catholic students into the public school. This is according to the public section chair, Bonnie Hope.
Hope explained, “Now that we have a decision that clearly defines the mandate of separate schools in Saskatchewan, we believe resolution of this issue required nothing more than goodwill and attention to what’s in the best interests of students in the long term… We need to talk about this now so our vision for the future of education in our province is clear.”
The Public Schools of Saskatchewan would like to see the full conclusion of the legal process in order to shift efforts for the strengthening of an inclusive public education system.
There are about 10,000 non-Catholic students in the Catholic schools in Saskatchewan. The government of Saskatchewan said that the permission of the decision to stand may jeopardize the funding for the other faith-based schools in the area.
The article concluded, “Under the charter’s notwithstanding clause, a government can override portions of the charter for a five-year period.”
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