The Law 21 trial in the Court of Appeals begins this week. In Ontario, several cities accuse us of discrimination and fund this protest. However, our neighbors are unable to teach us a lesson.
If you cannot prove that you are a practicing Catholic, you are not allowed to teach in Ontario’s government-funded Catholic schools. If you wear a veil or yarmulke, your CV will end up in the shredder!
History allows us to understand this situation. In 1867, Anglo-Protestants made up the vast majority of Ontario’s population, while Franco-Catholics were a minority. Each had its denominational schools. The Fathers of the Confederacy constitutionalized this system, which also existed in Quebec.
This prevented the Ontario government from closing Catholic schools but not banning French, which it did by Ordinance 17 in 1912. French Canadians in Ontario then turned to the courts…to be kicked out. The constitutional guarantee applies to religion, not language, it said. After several years, however, Ontario relented.
Now let’s go forward in time. Today, Catholics make up about 30% of Ontario’s population, the largest religious group. The denominational school system no longer makes sense. Except that Ontario residents have refused to follow the path of secularization that Quebec has taken. In 1997, the former Bouchard government enacted a constitutional amendment to de-denominationalize our schools and establish a linguistic school system.
Blame Quebec
That’s why there is religious discrimination in Ontario schools, but not here. That’s what happens when you refuse to reopen the Constitution, a taboo in Ontario.
The irony is this. If Quebecers turn to the equal treatment of all religions notwithstanding the protection clause of Bill 21, Quebec will be accused of the worst crimes in history. However, the exemption is part of the Constitution and partially protects our laws from being invalidated by federal jurisdiction.
This did not prevent Judge Marc-André Blanchard from saying that Bill 21 could not apply to English school boards. In doing so, he referred to § 23 of the statutes on the language of instruction imposed on us, the effects of which the devaluation clause cannot counteract. The magistrate merrily mixed language and faith to arrive at his decision. So Tadam! What was impossible for Franco-Ontarians at the time of Decree 17, namely the merging of religious and linguistic rights, is now a reality.
History teaches us two things here.
When it comes to violations of the collective rights of the French-speaking national minority, we can always rely on Canada’s Constitution and its interpretation by Ottawa-appointed judges.
Second, English Canada’s wickedness toward us extends through all ages.
