Publicly-Subsidized Religion
Please, no. Most definitely not. Yes, Canada is the very epitome of a mixed society, a true polyglot of cultures and traditions, a veritable Babel of mother-tongues, an multicultural, pluralistic, freedom-loving, life-enhancing society enriched by its vast immigrant population, the wonderful sum of all its parts. Let's keep religion out of this, please. Please?
True, we have the two founding nations of this young country, the French and the English. And true, the vanquished French were promised by a generous and tolerant victor that their language would enjoy rights equal to those of the greater English-speaking population among whom they lived. True too, thanks to Pierre Elliot Trudeau, that right has been enshrined in the Constitution.
Giving the impetus for the continuation of governments at every level to pay up front through sometimes-disgruntled taxpayers' funding of bilingual texts in just about everything imaginable at every level of government to satisfy the perceived needs of the Francophone minority, who insist on their right to be served and serviced in their mother tongue, however geographically and demographically inappropriate.
Fact of the matter is Canada has changed enormously in the last several decades. There are many tongues spoken in this country now. In many large urban centres there is recognition of that, with municipalities instituting their own method of tipping its hat to large ethnic communities. There are Italian and Chinese and Portuguese and Sudanese and East Indian and Pakistani, and Vietnamese and Arab populations settled in large numbers and sometimes in specific areas, to name but a few.
As recognition of the place these communities have in our country, their importance to our dual futures, their economic, social and voting strengths, neighbourhoods reflect the value of their presence, and occasionally even reflect their presence with street signs present in the language that remains their first. Local governments even fund social and sport centres specific to those groups and that's good. Not, however their religious institutions: full stop.
And then we have the separation of the education system. In a decidedly secular country it is sensible to have a unified public education system, funded by taxpayers. Instead, Canada has long been burdened with the need to fund a secular public education system alongside a private separate school system for Catholic children. As part of another, allied guarantee to a once-minority religious group at a time when Catholicism smothered the life of Francophones.
Old habits die hard. And the recipients of exceptional guarantees and privileges are always loathe to 'give up' what they have become accustomed to receiving as their 'right'. Canada, though, is no longer a country comprised of two major religious groupings; Protestant and Roman Catholic with a sprinkling of other, incidental religions through immigration. The great mass of immigrants who have peopled this country in the past decades have seen to that.
If it's fair to provide public funds in support of one religious-based school system augmenting the public school system, then it is also fair to fund the religion-oriented schools of the multitude of other religions now based in Canada. And in this way accustom Canadian children to separation in every aspect of their lives, from the schools they attend, to the social and sport centres, on to their places of worship.
This is a peculiar method by which the young in Canada will grow to become well integrated citizens of this country, sharing values, ideals and social mores. In fact, it's a wonderful way to ensure that children from specific ethnic groups will never come into contact with others representing ethnic groups apart from their own, guaranteeing that they will always view the others as 'others' separate and apart, and different from themselves.
If these are all Canadians, what exactly then, is it that brings them together in harmony in a common purpose, in a love for this country?
We're overdue for a change, to amend the Constitution that ensures our separation if need be, a 19th century construct that was true to its time, but no longer is. Religious instruction is a private matter and should be treated as such. A public school system is one that has been designed to produce an overall education system treating all children alike.
A child's heritage, ethnic and traditional background should have no impact on the manner in which that child is taught the basics of education, which should include the history of this country, which should include a gradual introduction to the values and social system and government of the country in which they and their families live.
Children should be free to mingle with one another, to discover through their contact with each other their compatibility as individuals.
The Charter of Rights, which is also involved, has the saving grace of "amendment", a method by which matters which are not as they should be can be turned around.
It's past time.
True, we have the two founding nations of this young country, the French and the English. And true, the vanquished French were promised by a generous and tolerant victor that their language would enjoy rights equal to those of the greater English-speaking population among whom they lived. True too, thanks to Pierre Elliot Trudeau, that right has been enshrined in the Constitution.
Giving the impetus for the continuation of governments at every level to pay up front through sometimes-disgruntled taxpayers' funding of bilingual texts in just about everything imaginable at every level of government to satisfy the perceived needs of the Francophone minority, who insist on their right to be served and serviced in their mother tongue, however geographically and demographically inappropriate.
Fact of the matter is Canada has changed enormously in the last several decades. There are many tongues spoken in this country now. In many large urban centres there is recognition of that, with municipalities instituting their own method of tipping its hat to large ethnic communities. There are Italian and Chinese and Portuguese and Sudanese and East Indian and Pakistani, and Vietnamese and Arab populations settled in large numbers and sometimes in specific areas, to name but a few.
As recognition of the place these communities have in our country, their importance to our dual futures, their economic, social and voting strengths, neighbourhoods reflect the value of their presence, and occasionally even reflect their presence with street signs present in the language that remains their first. Local governments even fund social and sport centres specific to those groups and that's good. Not, however their religious institutions: full stop.
And then we have the separation of the education system. In a decidedly secular country it is sensible to have a unified public education system, funded by taxpayers. Instead, Canada has long been burdened with the need to fund a secular public education system alongside a private separate school system for Catholic children. As part of another, allied guarantee to a once-minority religious group at a time when Catholicism smothered the life of Francophones.
Old habits die hard. And the recipients of exceptional guarantees and privileges are always loathe to 'give up' what they have become accustomed to receiving as their 'right'. Canada, though, is no longer a country comprised of two major religious groupings; Protestant and Roman Catholic with a sprinkling of other, incidental religions through immigration. The great mass of immigrants who have peopled this country in the past decades have seen to that.
If it's fair to provide public funds in support of one religious-based school system augmenting the public school system, then it is also fair to fund the religion-oriented schools of the multitude of other religions now based in Canada. And in this way accustom Canadian children to separation in every aspect of their lives, from the schools they attend, to the social and sport centres, on to their places of worship.
This is a peculiar method by which the young in Canada will grow to become well integrated citizens of this country, sharing values, ideals and social mores. In fact, it's a wonderful way to ensure that children from specific ethnic groups will never come into contact with others representing ethnic groups apart from their own, guaranteeing that they will always view the others as 'others' separate and apart, and different from themselves.
If these are all Canadians, what exactly then, is it that brings them together in harmony in a common purpose, in a love for this country?
We're overdue for a change, to amend the Constitution that ensures our separation if need be, a 19th century construct that was true to its time, but no longer is. Religious instruction is a private matter and should be treated as such. A public school system is one that has been designed to produce an overall education system treating all children alike.
A child's heritage, ethnic and traditional background should have no impact on the manner in which that child is taught the basics of education, which should include the history of this country, which should include a gradual introduction to the values and social system and government of the country in which they and their families live.
Children should be free to mingle with one another, to discover through their contact with each other their compatibility as individuals.
The Charter of Rights, which is also involved, has the saving grace of "amendment", a method by which matters which are not as they should be can be turned around.
It's past time.
Labels: Canada, Inconvenient Politics
posted by Pieface | 5:04 PM
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