The organization that represents 15 public school divisions in the province, Public Schools of Saskatchewan is calling for a discussion about the future of public education.
This comes after last year’s ruling on provincial funding for non-Catholic students who attend Catholic schools and the provincial government’s reaction to that decision.
In 2017, a judge ruled that the provincial government’s funding for non-Catholic students who attend Catholic schools violated the state’s duty of religious neutrality.
The government has since initiated the notwithstanding clause to allow for the funding to continue. Public Schools of Saskatchewan Executive Director, Norm Dray says the government should be focusing on a smooth transition for non-Catholic students who are currently enrolled in Catholic schools to then transition into the public system.
Currently in Saskatchewan, there are approximately 10 thousand non-Catholic students enrolled in Catholic schools. Currently with the government’s decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause, the government is ignoring two sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and three sections of the Human Rights Code of Canada. Governments are allowed when using the notwithstanding clause to override certain parts of the charter for up to 5 years.