(Canadian Edition): Why do we have publicly funded catholic schools still? Why haven’t they all converted to Public Schools?
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Canadians law interprets the notions of right to education and separation of church and state differently than the Americans. Both countries agree that children have the right to a state funded education up until the 12th grade. At the same time, both countries agree that parents have the right to send children to a public school or a religious school. Americans believe that, due to separation of church and state, if the parents choose to place their child in a non-public religious school, they give up their right to have a state funded education. In Canada, the courts maintained both rights. In Canada, a person has the right to a religious education *and* a funded education. Also, keep in mind that formation of Canada and a lot her history is based on the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Protections for the minority Catholics became a part of the British North America Act (1867) as a one of the compromises to get Catholics to agree with Confederation.
This has been challenged to an extent, and some provinces do no longer allocate state funds to religious schools. However, the majority of the country still does.
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