Catholic schools on hit list.

Quebec: an interim report

More than a year has passed since the constitutional right to confessional school boards in Quebec was removed by legislative sleight of hand. The number of boards was reduced and, last June, elections were held for the commissioners who would lead the new linguistic-based school boards into the new millennium. Secularists won majorities in both the English and French sectors easily, with Catholicism not a front-burner issue.

In Montreal, the English Montreal School Board, now combining Protestant, Jews and Catholics, looks a whole lot like the late Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal, right down to its offices on Fielding Avenue. The first job trustees had to tackle was to come up with a list of schools which would be closed next June. Cynics might not be surprised that five of the six schools on the "hit list" were Catholic schools.

Although these schools had been in jeopardy under the old regime, the three-year plan and a precise consultative process required by law were ignored by the EMSB, and as of this writing there are legal injunctions being sought, and at least one of the "closed" schools is taking registration for next fall. It appears that decisions were at least somewhat arbitrary, as no definitive measure was offered as a basis for closure. In short, already there is much bitterness.

Catholicism gone

Another issue which needed resolution was that of unions. The restructuring of the new boards resulted in several teachers' unions falling within each board. The government ordered the teachers in each board to vote on which union would represent them, and, when all was said and done, that was the end of Catholic teachers' unions in Quebec. Not that the old unions were all they could be as far as Catholicism was concerned, but they did constitute a Catholic presence on the education scene.

During the battle to retain confessional boards, the Quebec bishops rather condescendingly remarked that, if Catholic parents want Catholic schools, it will be up to them to keep them. The odds are in every way against them, but what is most heartening is that when it comes to their own kids, parents want religion. Although few schools are yet compliant, the law requires that every child must take one of Catholic, Protestant, or morals education. And guess what? Everybody's found religion! Ironically, for many students the new system offers them a first opportunity to receive religious instruction at school.

Among English students, 39.9 per cent chose Catholic instruction, 42.6 chose Protestant, and 15.2 per cent chose moral education. Among francophones, 74 percent chose Catholic instruction. This is an unexpected opportunity for the Church. Perhaps as many as eighty per cent come from families who do not go to church; many are unbaptized.

Alas, that glimmer of good news must be tempered by the next battle on the horizon. No sooner had parents won the right to nonconfessional school boards than the PQ government commissioned a study, by Jean-Pierre Proulx of the Universite de Montreal, on the role of religion in schools. The results of that study are due to be released any day now, and it is widely expected that the report will recommend a total secularisation of the school system. This was the former Minister of Education's plainly stated preference.

Deconfessionalisation

To bolster that position, the Coalition for the Deconfessionalisation of the School System was formed, made up of the usual players, including the teachers' unions. They urge that all religious influence be removed from schools, especially religious instruction, which they argue--and I find this literally frightening--should be replaced by classes in good citizenship.

A little slower on the uptake is the Coalition for Parents' Right to Choose the Status of the School. It has come together to remind parents that they have the right to decide on the character of their schools. The law allows for a Catholic school to continue to operate as Catholic, even under the linguistic structure of the school boards.

However, it must be noted that is not really possible to do so in the way that most people understand a school to be Catholic. For one, the school is open to all regardless of religion, including both students and staff. And neither may be required to participate in any religious activity.

My own children attend a Catholic school. Their new principal is from the former Protestant school board and is not a Catholic. This year, the children observed Channukah, Christmas, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa. Is the school really Catholic? Insofar as Catholic kids are more likely to cluster there, well, then...sort of. But regardless of how the struggle to keep the character of Catholic schools goes, the coming battle will inevitably be about religious instruction, both Catholic and Protestant. Remember, this is a costly proposition and one can hear the question now: Do WE want to pay for THEM to learn THEIR religion, or do we want to buy computers that ALL the students can benefit from?

Parents and community organizations are preparing to defend their rights. Pray that their voices will be heard.

Regina Farrell is Catholic Insight's Montreal correspondent, where she lives with her husband Mike and five children.