UN Rules Government Funding of Catholic Education in Ontario "Discriminatory"

LifeSite ^ | November 17, 2005 | Terry Vanderheyden

[NYer]

TORONTO, November 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The United Nations Human Rights Committee demanded November 3 that the government of Canada "eliminate discrimination on the basis of religion in the funding of schools in Ontario." The ruling was in response to a 1996 complaint filed on behalf of a Toronto Jewish parent who was sending his child to a Hebrew private school.

The UN committee released its ruling in 1999, but reiterated its demands this month. A coalition of representatives from non-Catholic religious schools protested the lack of funding by Ontario's Liberals yesterday in Ottawa, at Queen's Park in Toronto, and at the UN in New York.

A private Catholic educator in Ontario commented on the UN Human Rights ruling: "Ontario's Catholic education is under fire by the UN not because it wishes to promote the diversity of religious schooling in our land, but because its own secular collectivist dogmas are threatened by the existence of a unique Catholic intellectual tradition," said John O'Brien, principal of Wayside Academy in Peterborough. "Many countries teach a clear religious ethic in their schools, but Canada's Catholic schools are singled out for sanction because the UN and many of our country's elites are intent on promoting an irreligious culture here and on the global stage. State-funded Catholic schools remain an embarrassment to Canada's cherished leading role in this agenda."

Ottawa Torah Institute vice-principal Rabbi Boruch Clinton was at the Ottawa protest yesterday along with about 50 others, according to the Ottawa Sun. "It's an issue of inequality," he said. "The government does support Catholic schools, which we support and we feel that is fair. But it does not support other faith-based schools which we feel is discriminatory."

O'Brien explained that "Culturally and academically, there is little left to distinguish Ontario's Catholic schools from its public schools." Referring to the precedents in Newfoundland and Quebec, where religious education is no longer state funded, combined with the dwindling role that the Catholic Church plays in education, "it was only a matter of time before Ontario's schools would be targeted for elimination," he argued.

While private schools from other religions in Canada are seeking to use the UN ruling to their advantage, O'Brien said that the UN ruling is troubling because it does not seek to correct the inequality by encouraging Ontario to extend its support to all religious and independent schools. "A genuinely free and pluralistic society should develop forward not backward, and empower its citizens and communities," he argued. "Instead, they have issued a cease and desist order to supporting Catholic schools."

O'Brien also questioned the authority that the UN, "an unelected and unaccountable international body," should have over matters of Canadian sovereignty. "The right of Canadians to a Catholic education is established in Section 93 of the BNA Act (now Constitution Act of 1867)," he explained. "Support for Catholic schools was an essential plank in the creation of Canada, and we have our own historical and cultural reasons for making it so. Taking our marching orders from the UN, an unelected and unaccountable international body, begs the question as to whether we still command our sovereignty as a free nation. If our constitution can be overruled by the UN, then perhaps we do not."

Chairman of the Multi-Faith Coalition for Equal Funding of Religious Schools, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan, Archbishop Athanassoulas Sotirios was at the Toronto protest. "The multi-faith coalition has been pressing the government without results, including presenting a report to Education Minister Gerard Kennedy. We are not looking to set a new precedent," he added, according to the National Post. "We are only asking to be treated the same as other religious groups in the province."

Visit the Wayside Academy web site: http://waysideacademy.ca

[NYer]

Taking our marching orders from the UN, an unelected and unaccountable international body, begs the question as to whether we still command our sovereignty as a free nation.

Bears repeating!

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[fanfan]

Canada Ping!

Please FReepmail me to get on or off this Canada ping list.

[Trance750]

But I bet the UN would not have a problem using Government funds for Mosques.

[rwa265]

Aren't there several countries committing genocide, torture of its citizens, and other atrocities that the UN should be more concerned about than it is about a country's education funding decisions?

[kevinm13]

I pray that the Ontario government has enough guts to stick with funding Catholic schools rather than give in to some report by the UN.

[stevem]

Well, regardless of precedent or culture or any other consideration, it seems to me if the UN demands it, Canada really needs to comply. Isn't the UN, after all, the last word on...everything?

[Redbob]

The UN "demanded"???
Did I read that correctly?

The only quasi-governmental body more spineless than the US Senate "demanded"?

[x5452]

Get U.S. out of UN.

[rwa265]

And get UN out of U.S.

[w1andsodidwe]

I expect a ruling momentarily on Pakistan, Iran, etc, funding of Moslem terrorist training camps.

[Maceman]

Well, at least they're being consistent. After all, the UN has already demanded that Muslim nations stop funding Muslim education, and that they quit outlawing Christianity.

Oh wait. That didn't happen.

[Tzimisce]

Coming soon to a nation near you....

[adgirl]

"The United Nations Human Rights Committee demanded . . ."

Right, go full metal jacket on funding Catholic schools while you ignore human rights violations right and left in China, North Korea, Syria and Iran. What is wrong with these people?

I guess if Canada doesn't comply they'll send in UN troops. We all know what that means--Lock up your daughters!

[-YYZ-]

I happen to agree with the UN in this case. Public funding of Catholic schools but no other parochial school system is clearly discriminatory. It's also wasteful of public funds, as we have to fund two sets of schools, administrators, school buses and so on. And don't start on about how public funds should be available to all parents to send kids to schools of their choice, since they pay into the system. I pay lots of taxes, too, and I don't have any kids at all. By the above logic I shoudn't have to contribute to funding education at all.

[reagandemocrat]

But those are questions CANADA should address, not the UN nor even us, it's simply none of our business.

RD

[Jaysun]

I happen to agree with the UN in this case. Public funding of Catholic schools but no other parochial school system is clearly discriminatory. It's also wasteful of public funds, as we have to fund two sets of schools, administrators, school buses and so on. And don't start on about how public funds should be available to all parents to send kids to schools of their choice, since they pay into the system. I pay lots of taxes, too, and I don't have any kids at all. By the above logic I shoudn't have to contribute to funding education at all.

Even if you agree you have to ask yourself, "Why is the UN giving a sovereign nation marching orders? WTF?"

[-YYZ-]

Oh, I don't care that the UN has told us so, but then again it might be the impetus for us to re-examine the needs for two seperate publically funded school systems.

Certainly the original reason for the seperate (Catholic) school system is gone - anti-Catholic prejudice is basically long gone and dead in this country, outside a few Protestant cranks. And if Catholic parents want their kids to learn their religion they can send them to Sunday school.

[cope85]

The current membership of the Human Rights Committee is:

Name Nationality Term expires
Ms. Christine CHANET (Chairperson)
France
31.12.2006
Mr. Nisuke ANDO Japan 31.12.2006
Mr. Prafullachandra Natwarlal BHAGWATI India 31.12.2006
Mr. Alfredo CASTILLERO HOYOS Panama 31.12.2006
Mr. Abdelfattah AMOR Tunisia 31.12.2006
Mr. Maurice Ahanhanzo GLÈLÈ-AHANHANZO Benin 31.12.2008
Mr. Edwin JOHNSON LOPEZ Ecuador 31.12.2008
Mr. Walter KÄLIN Switzerland 31.12.2006
Mr. Rajsoomer LALLAH Mauritius 31.12.2008
Mr. Michael O'FLAHERTY Ireland 21.12.2008
Mr. Rafael RIVAS POSADA Colombia 31.12.2008
Sir Nigel RODLEY United Kingdom 31.12.2008
Mr. Ivan SHEARER Australia 31.12.2008
Mr. Hipólito SOLARI YRIGOYEN Argentina 31.12.2006
Mr. Ahmed TAWFIK KHALIL Egypt 31.12.2008
Ms. Ruth WEDGWOOD United States of America 31.12.2006
Mr. Roman WIERUSZEWSKI Poland 31.12.2006
Ms. Elisabeth PALM

[cope85]

Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948