B.C. schools under attack (Canada).

Vancouver--In a decision that could have wide-reaching effects on Canadian Catholic education, a British Columbia Labour Relations Board has ruled that the Catholic bishop of the diocese of Prince George cannot be the final authority to establish standards of moral conduct for Catholic teachers and impose discipline where those standards have been contravened.

A Catholicity clause in the teachers' first contract with Immaculata Catholic Independent Elementary School in Fort St. John, BC, is at the heart of the issue. The clause requires teachers to abide by the teaching of the Church in the classroom as well as in their personal life outside the school. For example, common-law or homosexual "partnerships" would contradict the teaching. (See CI, Jul/Aug 1999, p.24.) Rather than allow secular standards to determine Catholic moral teaching, Bishop Gerald Wiesner closed the school.

The board's decision includes ordering the Church to pay compensation to the teachers who lost their jobs and to cover the costs incurred by the teachers' union in first-contract bargaining that led to the closing of the school. The diocese is appealing the decision to the Board, and if unsuccessful, will go to the BC Supreme Court for a judicial review of the decision.

The question ultimately to be determined is: Does the bishop have the authority to require teachers to be practising Catholics all the time, and not just in the classroom? According to the union president (BC Government and Service Employees Union), the diocese can require teachers to abide by moral standards and serve as role models while at school, but once the teachers leave the school, their behaviour cannot be judged. As this union leader sees it: "It's the degree of practising the religion -- that's where we draw the line. They're requiring teachers to be practising Catholics to an extremely high standard that even Catholics do not maintain." (emphasis added). (See also CI May 2000, p.37: "Can OECTA live with Catholicism?)