Canadian Jewish Congress Explains Status of Public Schools in Canada

The Canadian Jewish Congress today issued a denial of a report that public schools in the Province of Quebec are not owned or administered by the public or governmental bodies, but by the churches.

“No public schools in Canada are owned or administered by churches,” the statement by the Canadian Jewish Congress said. “All Canadian public schools, including those in the Province of Quebec, are owned and administered by public school boards and financed by school taxes levied by those public school boards and collected by the cities or other municipal councils as part of city taxes.”

The statement points out that there is no provision in Canada’s Constitution which prohibits the teaching of religion or religious exercises in tax-supported schools. “In Canada, as in the United States, each provincial legislature–corresponding to a state legislature-has control over the public school system within that province,” the statement adds.

RIGHTS OF JEWISH CHILDREN IN QUEBEC SCHOOLS OUTLINED

Explaining that in the Province of Quebec local legislation provides also for a public school system administered by public school boards elected or appointed by local government bodies, and financed by taxes, the statement of the Canadian Jewish Congress says:

“The Quebec public school system, however, makes no provision for an undenominational school system, but for two parallel public school systems, one for Catholics and the other for Protestants. Neither of these two parallel public school systems are owned or administered by any denominational or church body. They are owned and administered by Catholic and Protestant school boards and are controlled by the provincial government. In other words, there are two parallel public school systems in the Province of Quebec, both of which are denominational, one Catholic and the other Protestant, and there is no provision under provincial legislation as it exists at present for an undenominational public school system.

“This,” the statement continues, “results from the fact that the overwhelming majority of the population and the electors of Quebec are Roman Catholic, and this majority is opposed in principle to undenominational schools. In addition to these two parallel public school systems in Quebec, Catholic and Protestant, there are also some Catholic parochial schools, particularly high schools, which are owned and administered by the Catholic Church and which are not supported by public tax monies.

“In all provinces except Quebec, Jews have the right to be elected or appointed as members of the undenominational public school boards, and their children have the right to attend the undenominational public schools,” the CJC statement states. “In the Province of Quebec, where there are no undenominational public schools, provincial legislation provides that all school taxes paid by Jews must be paid to the Protestant school board and Jewish children have the right to attend public schools and are exempted from attendance on Jewish holidays or participation in Christian religious instruction, but only Protestants may be appointed or elected as members of these Protestant school boards.”

The Canadian Jewish Congress has always been opposed to the inclusion of religious education in the public schools of any province in Canada and has made its stand clear to the various provincial governments. The representations against religious instruction in the public schools made to local school boards are made by the local Jewish communities in consultation and cooperation with the Canadian Jewish Congress.