Faith, rights, and choice : the politics of religious schools in Canada

__Faith, Rights, and Choice__ traces the history of religious accommodations in the schooling systems of Canada’s provinces. "The Canadian provinces have evolved quite different ways of responding to the policy problems posed by religious schools. Seeking to understand this peculiar reality, Faith, Rights, and Choice articulates the ways in which the provincial governance regimes developed for religious schools have changed over time. Covering nearly three centuries, the book begins with the founding of schooling systems in New France and continues into a variety of present-day conflicts that emerged over the question of religion in schools. James Farney and Clark Banack employ a method of process-tracing, drawing on 88 semi-structured interviews with key policy insiders. They also reference archival material documenting meetings, political speeches, and legislative debates related to government decisions around issues of religious education. Relying on the theoretical foundations of both historical institutionalism and Canadian political development, Faith, Rights, and Choice presents a new analytic framework to help make sense of the policy divergence witnessed across Canada."-- Provided by publisher Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: The Puzzle of Religious Schools in Canadian Politics 11 1 Ontario’s Puzzling Continuity 41 2 The Incremental Secularization of Quebec’s Education System 62 3 Faith’s Resilience Creates Four Secular Systems in Atlantic Canada 92 4 Contention over Faith, the Shock of Rights, and Layered Choice in Manitoba 112 5 British Columbia’s Sudden Embrace of a Regime of Rights and Choice 130 6 Incremental Change and Policy Layering in Saskatchewan 157 7 Layering Faith and Choice in Alberta 177 Conclusion: Faith, Rights, Choice, and Change 200 Interview Participants 209 Works Cited 215 Index 231