TORONTO — The government of Canada’s largest province has backed down from statements by a senior cabinet minister last week calling the Catholic school system’s pro-life teachings illegal and anti-women.
In a confrontation similar to that between U.S. Catholic institutions and the Obama administration over the federal contraception mandate, the minority government of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty called Catholic teaching on abortion “misogynistic” and indicated it was a violation of the government’s new anti-bullying law, the Accepting Differences Act, also known as Bill 13.
The controversy started Oct. 10, when a reporter asked Education Minister Laurie Broten whether Catholic schools, which are fully funded by the provincial government, ought to be letting students out of class to attend “anti-abortion” rallies.
According to CTV News, Broten responded, “We do not allow — and we are very clear with the passage of Bill 13 — that Catholic teachings cannot be taught in our schools that violate human rights. … Taking away a woman’s right to choose could arguably be one of the most misogynistic actions that one could take.”
Broten reportedly added that she didn’t see a conflict between Catholic teaching and women’s “right to choose.”
Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto responded quickly in a fundraising speech, asserting that the Catholic system’s doctrinal independence and very existence are guaranteed by the Canadian Constitution. He praised this constitutional arrangement for “producing a healthy competition from which all benefit, but also a fruitful collaboration” with the secular public schools.
The Toronto-based Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) was more combative. “The right to life from conception to natural death is a core teaching of Catholicism,” said the league’s executive director, Joanne McGarry. “Ms. Broten is clearly ill-informed.”
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada agreed. Given that she is also the minister for women’s issues, stated its legal counsel, Faye Sonier, “It should be of serious concern that she’s unaware that there’s no right to abortion in Canada.”
Canada has had no legal restrictions on abortion since the country’ s Supreme Court invalidated the existing law in 1988, which required the woman to persuade a medical panel that birth would endanger her health. But that 1988 decision did not recognize a right to abortion per se.
A group that formed a year and a half ago to fight Bill 13, Parents as First Educators, also weighed in. The group’s president, Teresa Pierre, likened the education minister’s views to “the HHS mandate in the United States that forces hospitals and schools … to provide insurance that covers contraception — despite the obvious insult to Catholic teaching.”
Government Bullies Schools
This was not the first time Bill 13 has been invoked by the provincial government against Catholic moral teaching. Since first announcing the bill, the province has focused on the need to defend homosexuals from bullies, even though most school bullying is triggered by body image, school grades and ethnicity not sexual preference.
The bill also called on schools to create so-called Gay-Straight Alliance clubs whenever students requested them. When the Catholic bishops and schools developed their own approach, which would not have condoned homosexuality and which offered “Respecting Difference” clubs that would have addressed the bullying issue, the government simply ignored their proposal and passed Bill 13 unchanged last spring.
Reluctantly, the school trustees and Ontario’s bishops said they would obey the law.
Now, however, they may be preparing to take a stronger stand. In his comments at the fundraising dinner, Cardinal Collins asserted that the Catholic system’s right to develop its own anti-bullying approach was protected by the Canadian Constitution, just like the Church’s teaching on abortion.
Conflict over denominational schools was a staple of politics north of the border even before Britain’s North American colonies federated into Canada in 1867. Protestant Ontario agreed to join only if the Protestant minority in Quebec got its schools guaranteed in the Canadian Constitution, while Catholic Quebec insisted on the same for Ontario’s Catholic minority.
“The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized again and again that these schools are protected,” Phil Horgan, the president of the Catholic Civil Rights League, told the Register. But even if they weren’t, he added, “we should never forget that the money that pays for Catholic schools comes from Catholic taxpayers.”
And from Catholic voters. Though Canadian Catholics rarely vote as a bloc, Ontario’s Liberal government may be afraid to provoke the third of provincial voters who are Catholic, especially since Liberals are on such shaky political ground these days. Premier McGuinty, himself a Catholic, has just announced he will resign shortly.
Moreover, his government is in a minority position in the provincial parliament, kept in office only with the unreliable support of the socialist New Democratic Party.
Duck and Cover
Just how wary the government was of Catholic reaction against Broten’s pro-abortion push against Catholic schools was signaled by how quickly it ducked and covered at the first sign of resistance.
First, Broten’s spokeswoman, Paris Meilleur, said the minister’s comments were taken out of context, explaining that Broten’s comments related to her concern that the government’s main opponents in the provincial Legislature, the Progressive Conservatives, were about to challenge government funding for abortion.
“Taking away a woman’s right to choose — that’s different from teaching a pro-life perspective,” Meilleur said.
Then Broten issued her own conciliatory statement. She said, “The government of Ontario is committed to support for Catholic education and denominational rights. … The discussions of the last week were not about what is taught or is not taught in our Catholic schools.”
Broten’s retreat won’t stop the larger discussion about whether tax-funded sectarian schools belong in Canada’s increasingly secular — and sexually permissive — culture.
Canada’s best-known abortion advocate, Joyce Arthur of the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League, told the Register, “The issue here is taxpayer funding of Catholic schools. Religious schools should not be taxpayer funded. If they weren’t, they could teach whatever they want, within reason.”
Added Arthur, “The constitutional guarantee of doctrinal independence for Ontario Catholic schools was a mistake, especially if it gives a school the right to teach discrimination and traditional gender roles that oppress women.”
The CCRL’s Horgan and McGarry both rejected Joyce’s argument as unfounded, especially given that the pro-abortion movement in Canada opposes any limitation to abortion on demand, even a ban on sex-selective abortion, a practice imported by Asian immigrants that almost always targets unborn female babies. “They are the misogynists,” McGarry said.
So far, only a few New Democratic Party members of the provincial Parliament and the leader of the memberless Green Party have called for defunding Catholic schools.
But one ad-hoc group devoted to disestablishment, One School System, insists on its website that the constitutional guarantees are pretty weak.
“Ontario’s constitutional ‘obligation’ to fund Roman Catholic separate schools is largely illusory,” the group claims. “Quebec, Newfoundland and Manitoba all removed or ignored very similar constitutional ‘obligations’ before moving to a single public-school system.”
But, according to Horgan, under the Canadian Constitution, any action to defund the Catholic schools or force them to teach a non-Catholic doctrine could be countered by an appeal to the courts or to the federal government.
“The Catholic schools express the fundamental right of parents to control their children’s education,” Horgan said. “This right predates government.”
In the view of Teresa Pierre of Parents Are First Educators, Bill 13 was never about bullying and “always about advancing the rights agenda.” She believes Broten’s hasty retreat from her statement is an opportunity for Catholics to “help Òntario politicians to recognize the valuable role Catholic schools play in the province’s multicultural society.”
Register correspondent Steve Weatherbe writes from Victoria, British Columbia.
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What Catholic schools teach has aways been legal and pro-woman. Cultural Marxists and hypocritical liberals who support abortion are anti-human nature and anti-woman because they attack motherhood which is an important feature of womanhood. This minister is truly “misogynistic”.
Sounds like something right out of one of Michael O’Brien’s books.
Look out, American Catholics, the decadent Democrats are coming after you.
God bless the schools for standing strong. This sadly is a perfect example of religious oppression as well as why religious instutions should not allow government funding. Living in the US I fear a see much of the same things starting to happen. We are literally sitting on a time bomb of an election and I’m wondering if we can some how move to Italy very near to Vatican City.
Lessons here:
1. Avoid “free” government money at all costs. At least, in the U.S. Catholic grade and high schools are not receiving direct government payments, as is the case in Canada. Catholic colleges and universities are, through federal student aid, and these institutions will, almost certainly, be pressured on “fairness” and “equality” issues if the current regime’ is re elected, maybe if the opponent wins the presidency; government entities march to their own drummer.
Catholic hospitals are in the same situation. I simply cannot understand the naivete of supposedly “smart” people who, on the one hand, require government funding to keep operating, but then recoil when the godless scrum in our government agencies impose their will on the institutions.
Just a matter of time. Catholic teachings states the no law is just and need not be followed if it is a direct offense to natural law. This is certainly such a law. We must prepare ourselves for the fact that we must protest this law, then be ready for civil disobedients and jail time. We cannot abide but such a law. Since when did the killing of a child become a right to choose. The Catholic position is merely a refelction of what it is to be fully human. We must live out our humanity or we are never truly free.
It is a sad commentary on socialist states (and would be socialist states like an America being herded into “progressivism” in its current drift) that such states come into conflict with and seek to control Christian religious values. State morality conflicts with or violates religious beliefs particularly in the area of the population control motive that is the abortion agenda.
The most dangerous threats to the culture are those politicians that have fallen under the influence of NARAL or the gay marriage activists who are bound and determined to force their views on everyone. Such politicians need to become the focus of democratic election removal where their policies conflict with the majority of people’s beliefs. We must always remember that Catholic taxpayers are included among those that support schools and their tax-dollars entitle them to have a say about progressive dogmatic control over their children in schools.
Canadian Catholics should understand that when you ask your fellow taxpayers to “help” you, they will also have the right to tell you what you may do.
Yes, I understand that your schools are funded to teach basic education, but it is impossible to separate the basics from moral and ethical instruction-in-fact. And that gives your non-Catholic supporters an opening to complain about EVERYTHING yo do in your schools.
Go to a Catholic school system entirely supported by Catholics’ funds, and the secularists will have less on which to nast their criticisms.
When are Catholic - U.S. or Canadian - going to realize that they can’t take money from the government for their organizations. Once you do, you have to conform to their standards and if you don’t they will simply impose a “tax” on you. All the talk in the post-Vatican local church about “community”!! Shame on you. We have less “community” now than we did before Vatican II. , Why won’t the Catholic community take care of their own? Me thinks, they really want to be protestant.
In Ontario, Canada, Catholics have been directing their education tax dollars to either the Catholic or Public systems since 1867. My concern is that the tide of anti-Catholic secularism will wash away a very healthy school system. But will Ontario Catholics put up a fight? They rolled over pretty quickly on Bill 13 which forced Catholic high schools to establish “Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs.”
So…Ontario’s Catholic school system’s pro-life teachings are “illegal and anti-women”? Nothing is more anti-women than telling a woman that killing her unborn child is an option! The Catholic Church repeatedly and at all times upholds the inherent dignity of every woman—a dignity that others try to steal when they tell women that abortion is ok. Abortion is the ultimate act of violence against women and it is a shame that many (including women)are convincing others that it is somehow ok to terminate the innocent life within.
I don’t even know where to begin. Are these politicians just complete idiots?
Would the author please give the readers some background on this bill 13? I found it difficult to follow the article without understanding the specifics of bill 13.
The liberal credo: “we are all for tolerance—except for your miscreant views!”
This is an example of why CATHOLICS MUST VOTE. With Obamacare’s hostility toward religios liberty, and President Obama’s pro-choice history, I’d hate to see what this country would look like in 4 years. Mitt Romney is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and pro-religious liberty.
Those who fail to vote will have no right to complain about President Obama’s policies if he wins.
As a non-Catholic outside observer, I find your beliefs illogical, and frankly, a little scary.
For example, “Just a matter of time. Catholic teachings states the no law is just and need not be followed if it is a direct offense to natural law. This is certainly such a law.”
The moment when man ceases to be just biochemical “dust” and becomes an independent “Human being” is well defined both in natural law, and in Scripture as the moment God breaths into man the breath of life. It is when God breaths into man the breath of life that man becomes a “living soul”. Before that time, he remains only a potential human soul. And while a potential soul has value and should not be aborted lightly, still, it does not have the same standing as a soul that has attained true independent existence.
One of the reasons I think Catholic views are not more widely accepted is the fact that in this case, they do not accord with natural law. They go beyond, and subvert natural law.
I think that if the clergy had themselves followed natural law and scripture by Bishops being married, they would see and understand this. But the fact that Catholic Clergy have abandoned natural law for 2000 years has blinded them to natural law and it has cost them their credibility, at least on this issue.
Im a Catholic teacher in Toronto for 25 years. . .and can report that many many agree that this problem was the bishop’s fault back in the 70’ s up til 1988 when they accepted ‘full funding’ for Catholic schools. We had had the best schools in the country and the quality of students was clear. But they went for the money,,, accepting full funding actually expecting that the government would leave our schools, our faith, and our morality in tact , fully orthodox. They were heavily under threat (the schools) at the time, and many of us, most pro-lifers, begged the school boards and the bishops who backed them, NOT to take the money,, the system, we said, woould become as it has now become,,, secular, no reference to Rome, sacramental preparation so lame that pastors dont accept it for sacramental reception… we hear it often, “should never have accepted the funding.”: (just for the record)... Catholic teachers are an odd bunch,, very few have ‘apostolic faith’’ like scores of ‘religious’ (not!) sisters, they went to’university and became fully secularized, and distanced from the Church… Fullness of faith is a very hard commodity to find!.. AMericans!..dont’ take state funding!
Ron, you make a very strong statement about Catholic teachings violating natural law because it is not a “living soul” yet you offer no proof as to when this “breath of life” occurs. According to you prior to this the unborn human person is merely a “potential soul” ...mere biochemical “dust.” You assume that there is no soul until birth, when the child becomes “independent” yet, the child is still very much dependent at birth, and remains so for many years.You cannot make this statement until you have proof of this union of souls and body. Your position is contradictory in that the child in utero is indeed with “life”—which is the only reason to abort. If the unborn child is mere dust with out life, there is no need to abort. Abortion is the deliberate ending of an unwanted human life. I say deliebrate meaning intentional; but, certainly not well deliberated according to rational scientific thinking. Rationalized…yes; but rational…no!
Likewise to numerous other comments regarding tax dollar funding of Catholic educationin Canada—let me first point out that that did not protect Catholics in the USA or the Catholic democrats would not have supported Obama. Catholicism is a value system as is progressivism and secularism. If other PERSONAL VALUE SYSTEMs are funded in public schools (collectively known as relaticvism…I’m OK, you’re OK as long as you don’t disagree with me… (and indeed are more than well funded through activist groups such as Planned Parenthood) why should Catholic schools have to be self-funding? Again Catholics need to be more rational in their own thinking ...we need to discern the truth and resist guilt inducing platuitudes that have made our country so “politcally correct” there is no such thing as wrong anymore unless it is a Catholic standing soildly with the teachings of the Church. One way we can end our internal crisis in Catholic thinking is to take up the personal challenge to study and understand the teachings of our faith. Could it be that the Holy Spirit is challenging us in this with the Pope’s invitation in this Year of Faith.
The Catholic Church has people power in that it is the largest Chrisitina denomination…the problem appears to be Catholics who apologise for their position rather than study apologetics.
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