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Religion in Canada

Nowhere in our Canadian pluralistic society is there as great a reflection of our openness, diversity and tolerance than in our approach to an individual’s understanding of her/his faith or spirituality. The complexity and diversity of religions represented in this publication clearly demonstrates the vastness of the Canadian spiritual landscape as reflected in the Canadian Forces. Our current world focus pushes all Canadians and especially members of the Canadian Forces to grapple with issues of personal faith and spirituality while at the same time attempting to understand the faith and spiritual perspective of others.

Humans are spiritual beings who ask spiritual questions of meaning, relationship and self-awareness. Spirituality has to do with our need to understand who we are and how we relate to ourselves, to others and to our world, and for some, to God. Truly effective CF members are ones who are attending to spiritual issues with the same healthy attitude as they afford their physical and mental well-being. The demands of military service present enormous challenges for men and women, frequently calling them to have a firm understanding of the deeper questions of life. Dealing with trauma, managing violence with integrity, serving others before self, facing ethical challenges successfully, and developing values that enrich one’s community are all, at their core, spiritual values. Through the exploration of spiritual issues a person discovers the values that strengthen resolve, promote decency and encourage women and men to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. Exploring one’s understanding of spirituality, especially one’s interconnectedness to others, moves a person from a crippling self-centeredness to a view of life that respects the dignity of others and promotes loyalty and sacrifice for the benefit of the broader community.

For many, spiritual issues are addressed in the context of their practice and understanding of their religious traditions. Given the great variety of religious traditions represented both in Canadian society and so clearly demonstrated in this publication, it is incumbent on all members of the Canadian Forces to garner as clear an understanding as possible of their sisters and brothers who serve alongside them. Within the pluralistic environment of the CF, military chaplains play an extremely important role in the provision and facilitation of venues in which members and their families can explore their own spiritual and religious practices while keeping respect for the traditions of others. Religious accommodations are one example of how we demonstrate our sincere desire to take seriously and respect the faith practices of all. Understanding oneself and others decreases prejudice while opening doors to cooperation and trust.

On behalf of the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy (ICCMC), which oversees the provision of chaplains to the CF for all religious traditions, I commend this resource to all who use it whether for personal growth or as a leadership tool to more clearly understand those who serve their country in the Canadian Forces.

The Right Reverend Peter Coffin

Chair Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy

Notes:

The Canadian Forces Emblem, next to the name of a religion signifies that, as of the date of publication, this particular denomination had at least one representative in the Canadian Forces Chaplaincy.
The Religions in Canada book is a publication produced, first and foremost, for education and awareness. It is also meant to assist Commanding Officers and supervisors understand and respond to requests for accommodation based on religious/spiritual grounds.

It is not meant as, nor has it ever held itself out to be, official endorsement or acknowledgment of a particular religion, spirituality or faith group by the Canadian Forces. Inclusion in the publication does not afford the specific religion, spirituality or faith group with any special status or privileges in the Canadian Forces. Likewise, other religions and persuasions not specifically described are equally entitled to consideration for religious accommodation.

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Canada education system

Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen byfederal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province.] Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Within the provinces under the ministry of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programs. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick, where the compulsory age is 18. In some provinces early leaving exemptions can be granted under certain circumstances at 14. Canada generally has 190 school days in the year, officially starting from September (after Labour Day) to the end of June (usually the last Friday of the month, except in some cases in Quebec when it is just before June 24 – the provincial holiday).

Canada-wide

Elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education in Canada is a provincial responsibility and there are many variations between the provinces. Some educational fields are supported at various levels by federal departments. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is responsible for the education of First Nations. Vocational training can be subsidized by the Learning branch of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (a federal department).

Junior Kindergarten (or equivalent) as an official program exists only in Ontario currently. Kindergarten (or its equivalent) is available in every province, but provincial funding, and the number of hours provided varies widely. Starting at grade one, at age six or seven, there is universal publicly funded access up to grade twelve (or equivalent). Dependent on the province the age of mandatory entry is at 4–7 years. Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen (eighteen in Ontario and New Brunswick). About one out of ten Canadians does not have a high school diploma – one in seven has a university degree – the adult population that is without a high school diploma is a combination of both immigrant and Canadian-born. In many places, publicly-funded high school courses are offered to the adult population. The ratio of high school graduates versus non diploma-holders is changing rapidly, partly due to changes in the labour market that require people to have a high school diploma and, in many cases, a university degree.

Canada spends about 7% of its GDP on education. Since the adoption of section 23 of theConstitution Act, 1982, education in both English and French has been available in most places across Canada (if the population of children speaking the minority language justifies it), although French Second Language education/French Immersion is available to anglophone students across Canada.

According to an announcement of Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Canada is introducing a new, fast-track system to let foreign students and graduates with Canadian work experience become permanent eligible residents in Canada.

Most schools have introduced one or more initiatives such as programs in Native studies, antiracism, Aboriginal cultures and crafts; visits by elders and other community members; and content in areas like indigenous languages, Aboriginal spirituality, indigenous knowledge of nature, and tours to indigenous heritage sites. Although these classes are offered, most appear to be limited by the area or region in which students reside. "The curriculum is designed to elicit development and quality of people's cognition through the guiding of accommodations of individuals to their natural environment and their changing social order"[ Finally, "some scholars view academics as a form of "soft power" helping to educate and to create positive attitudes." Furthermore, "subjects that typically get assessed (i.e., language arts, mathematics, and science) assume greater importance than non-assessed subjects (i.e., music, visual arts, and physical education) or facets of the curriculum (i.e., reading and writing versus speaking and listening). The students in the Canadian school system receive a variety of classes that are offered to them. The system is set up to meet the diverse needs of the individual student.

Divisions by religion and language

Originally all the provinces had educational systems divided by religion, but most provinces have abolished these. Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and certain cities in Saskatchewan are exceptions to this, as they still maintain publicly-funded Separate district school boards (usually Catholic but occasionally Protestant). In Quebec, the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French/English one in 1998. Quebecers must attend a French School up until the end of high school unless one of their parents previously attended an English-language school somewhere in Canada (immigrants from other countries cannot use this exception). In other provinces, English Speakers are not allowed to attend French Schools, unless one of the parent has French language as mother tongue, but they can easily attend French Immersion Schools.

Length of study

Most Canadian education systems continue up to grade twelve (age seventeen to eighteen). In Quebec, the typical high school term ends after Secondary V/Grade eleven (age sixteen to seventeen); following this, students who wish to pursue their studies to the university level have to attend college. Grade 11 was also the end of secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador prior to the introduction of grade 12 in 1983.

Authorities

Normally, for each type of publicly funded school (such as Public English or Public French), the province is divided into districts (or divisions). For each district, board members (trustees) are elected only by its supporters within the district (voters receive a ballot for just one of the boards in their area). Normally, all publicly funded schools are under the authority of their local district school board. These school boards would follow a common curriculum set up by the province the board resides in. Only Alberta allows public charter schools, which are independent of any district board. Instead, they each have their own board, which reports directly to the province.

Pre-university

Primary education and secondary education combined are sometimes referred to as K-12 (Kindergarten through Grade 12). It should be noted that this structure can vary from school to school, and from province to province.. In contrast, Ontario is the only province which provides two levels of Kindergarten (Junior and Senior).

In Canada, secondary schooling, known as high school or collegiate institute or "école secondaire" or secondary school, differs depending on the province in which one resides. Additionally, grade structure may vary within a province and even within a school division. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick (where the compulsory ages are 18). Students may continue to attend high school until the ages of 19 to 21 (the cut-off age for high school varies between province). Those 19 and over may attend adult school. Also if high schoolers are expelled or suspended for a period of time over 2 months or so they could attend night school at the high school.

In Calgary Alberta, Bishop Carroll High School has a system that is similar to university graduate school. At Bishop Carroll students do not attend classes like in many other high schools. They instead attended lectures and work at their own pace to achieve units. Each course as a set number of units which the student has to attain in order to get credit.

Ontario had a "Grade 13" known as Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) year, but this was abolished by the provincial government to cut costs. OAC was last offered for the 2002-2003 school year. As a result, the curriculum has been compacted, and the more difficult subjects, such as mathematics, are comparatively harder than before. However, the system is now approximately equivalent to what has been the case outside of Quebec and Ontario for many years. Secondary education in Quebec continues to Grade 11 (Secondary V), and is typically followed by college, a two year pre-university (university for Quebecers is three years, except Engineering), or three year vocational program taken after high school.

An increasing number of international students are attending pre-university courses at Canadian high schools like Columbia International College which has an enrollment of over 1,300 students from all over the world.

Post-secondary education

Post-secondary education in Canada is also the responsibility of the individual provinces and territories. Those governments provide the majority of funding to their public post-secondary institutions, with the remainder of funding coming from tuition fees, the federal government, and research grants. Compared to other countries in the past, Canada has had the highest tertiary school enrollment as a percentage of their graduating population.

Nearly all post-secondary institutions in Canada have the authority to grant academic credentials (i.e., diplomas or degrees). Generally speaking, universities grant degrees (e.g., bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees) while colleges, which typically offer vocationally-oriented programs, grant diplomas and certificates. However, some colleges offer applied arts degrees that lead to or are equivalent to degrees from a university. Private career colleges are overseen by legislative acts for each province, For example in British Columbia training providers will be registered and accredited with the (PCTIA) Private Career Training Institutions Agency regulated under the Private Career Training Institutions Act (SBC 2003) Each province with their own correlating agency. Unlike the United States, there is no "accreditation body" that oversees the universities in Canada. Universities in Canada have degree-granting authority via an Act or Ministerial Consent from the Ministry of Education of the particular province.

Post-secondary education in Quebec begins with college following graduation from Grade 11 (or Secondary V). Students complete a two- or three-year general program leading to admission to a university, or a professional program leading directly into the labour force. In most cases, bachelor's degree programs in Quebec are three years instead of the usual four; however, in many cases, students attending a university in Quebec that did not graduate from college must complete an additional year of coursework. When Ontario had five years of high school, a three-year bachelor's degree was common, but these degrees are being phased out in favour of the four-year degree.

The main variation between the provinces, with respect to universities, is the amount of funding they receive. Universities in Quebec receive the most funding and have the lowest tuitions. Universities in Atlantic Canada generally receive the least funding and some, like Acadia University, are almost wholly reliant on private funding.

The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), is the military academy of the Canadian Forces and is a full degree-granting university. RMC is the only federal institution with degree granting powers.

Private schools

About 8% of students are in private schools.[31] A minority of these are elite private schools, such as Ridley College, Upper Canada College, and Havergal College. These schools are attended by only a small fraction of students, but do have a great deal of prestige and prominence. It is not unusual for the wealthy and prominent in Canada to send their children to public schools, especially in the lower grades. A far larger portion of private schools are religious based institutions. Private schools are also used to study outside the country. For example, Canadian College Italy has an Ontario curriculum, but the students study in Italy.

Private schools have historically been less common on the Canadian Prairies and were often forbidden under municipal and provincial statutes enacted to provide equality of education to students regardless of family income. This is especially true in Alberta, where successiveSocial Credit (or populist conservative) governments denounced the concept of private education as the main cause of denial of opportunity to the children of the working poor. These rules lasted longer than Social Credit; it was only in 1989 that private K-12 schools were allowed to operate inside the boundaries of the City of Calgary

Private Universities

In the past, private universities in Canada maintained a religious history or foundation. Although since 1999, the Province of New Brunswick passed the Degree Granting Act allowing private universities to operate in the Province. The University of Fredericton is the newest University to receive designation in New Brunswick.

Trinity Western University, in Langley British Columbia, was founded in 1962 as a junior college and received full accreditation in 1985. In 2002, British Columbia’s Quest University became the first privately funded liberal arts university without a denominational affiliation (although it is not the first private liberal arts university). Many provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, have passed legislation allowing private degree-granting institutions (not necessarily universities) to operate there.

Many Canadians remain polarized on the issue of permitting private universities into the Canadian market. On the one hand, Canada’s top universities find it difficult to compete with the private American powerhouses because of funding, but on the other hand, the fact that the price of private universities tends to exclude those who cannot pay that much for their education could prevent a significant portion of Canada’s population from being able to attend these schools

Religious schools

Each province deals differently with private religious schools. In Ontario the Catholic system continues to be fully publicly funded while other faiths are not. Ontario has several private Jewish, Muslim, and Christian schools all funded through tuition fees. Since the Catholic schools system is entrenched in the constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled that this system is constitutional. However, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that Ontario's system is discriminatory, suggesting that Ontario either fund no faith-based schools, or all of them.[34] In 2002 the government of Mike Harris introduced a controversial program to partially fund all private schools, but this was criticized for undermining the public education system and the program was eliminated after the Liberals won the 2003 provincial election.

In other provinces privately operated religious schools are funded. In British Columbia the government pays 50% of the cost of religious schools that meet rigorous provincial standards. The province has a number of Sikh, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim schools. Alberta also has a network of charter schools, which are fully funded schools offering distinct approaches to education within the public school system. Alberta charter schools are not private and the province does not grant charters to religious schools. These schools have to follow the provincial curriculum and meet all standards, but are given considerable freedom in other areas. In all other provinces private religious schools receive some funding, but not as much as the public system.

An example of how schools can be divided by religions in Toronto includes the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Toronto District School Board.

History of religious schools

The role of religion in Canadian education has been controversial for centuries. The first schools in New France were operated by the church. In the early nineteenth century the colonial governments moved to set up publicly funded education systems. However, soon religious divisions became problematic. At the time religious study was considered an integral part of education, but Protestants and Catholics were deeply divided over how this education should be delivered. In Upper Canada the Catholic minority rejected the Protestant practice of Biblical study in schools, while in Lower Canada the Protestant minority objected to the education system instilling Roman Catholic dogma. Thus in both these areas two schools systems were established, a Catholic and a Protestant. Upon Confederation these schools systems were enshrined in the British North America Act, 1867.

In the three Maritime provinces, schools were mainly Protestant, and a single Protestant oriented school system was established in each of them. In Newfoundland there was not only the Catholic/Protestant split, but also deep divisions between Protestant sects, and nine separate schools systems were set up, one catering to each major denomination. Eventually the major Protestant boards merged into an integrated school system. The three Prairie provinces adopted a system based on Ontario's with a dominant Protestant system, and smaller Catholic ones. In 1891, however Manitoba moved to eliminate the Catholic board, sparking the Manitoba Schools Question. Eventually the Catholic school system in that province was merged with the Protestant one. British Columbia established a non-sectarian school system in 1872.

Over time, the originally Protestant school boards of English Canada, known as the public schools, became increasingly secularized as Canadians came to believe in the separation of Church and state, and the main boards became secular ones. In Ontario all overt religiosity was removed from the public school system in 1990. In two provinces the sectarian education systems have recently been eliminated through constitutional change. Newfoundland and Labrador eliminated its tri-denominational Catholic-Protestant-Pentecostal system after two referendums. In Quebec the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French language/English language one.

Levels in education

Canada outside Quebec

As the education system in Canada is managed by the varying provincial governments in Canada, the way the educational stages are grouped and named may differ from each region. For example, the Ministry of Education in Nova Scotia refers to Kindergarten as Grade Primary. Also, opposed to their French designations in Quebec, Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten in Ontario are called Maternelle andCPE Centre de la Petite Enfance in French Students in the Prairie provinces are not required by statute to attend kindergarten. As a result, kindergarten often is not available in smaller towns. The ages are the age of the students when they end the school year in June.

Early childhood education

Ø Junior Kindergarten (ages 4–5) (Ontario only)[

Ø Grade Primary or Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Ø Elementary education

Ø Grade 1 (ages 6–7)

Ø Grade 2 (ages 7–8)

Ø Grade 3 (ages 8–9)

Ø Grade 4 (ages 9–10)

Ø Grade 5 (ages 10–11)

Ø Grade 6 (ages 11–12)

Ø Grade 7 (ages 12–13)

Ø Grade 8 (ages 13–14)

Secondary education

Ø Grade 9 (ages 14–15)

Ø Grade 10 (ages 15–16)

Ø Grade 11 (ages 16–17)

Ø Grade 12 (ages 17–18)

Ø Grade 12+ (ages 18+) (Ontario only)

Tertiary education

Ø College: In Canada, the term college usually refers to a community college or a technical, applied arts, or applied science school. These are post-secondary institutions granting certificates, diplomas, associates degree, and bachelor's degrees.

University: A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education.

Ø Graduate school: A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees.
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Politic in Canada

Diverse political factions have been the cause of dispute in every country, throughout every decade of history. Canada is no exception. From liberalism to socialism to conservatism, Canada has a long history of political dissension. Not that this dissension is necessarily a bad thing. After all, without different political parties, it would be virtually impossible for Parliament or the provincial legislatures to function. A workable governmental system must depend on the loyalty of one party's colleagues to stand behind them while the other party provides appropriate criticisms.

While most times, a Canadian citizen's choice of party affiliation stems from a commonality of ideals and principles, it can also be based on nothing but family tradition. Regardless, the existence of political parties in Canada gives Canadian citizens "a voice" in politics and allows them to feel that they can influence the way their country is run. Resting comfortably in the middle of the political spectrum, Liberalism's roots are firm in Canada's political history. Liberalism has generated supporters and adversaries from the time the second Prime Minister of Canada, Alexander Mackenzie, became a member of the Liberal Party all the way up until today, where Liberalism continues to dominate the House of Commons.

The Liberal Party of Canada was originally called the "Reform Party", with its far left members acquiring the nickname of "Clear Grit". Even after the party members became officially known as "Liberals", the term "grits" stuck with them.

Liberalism in Canada has historically been based on two issues: the promise to improve economic and social standards and the promise to heighten the respect and acknowledgement of Canadians. Most Liberals are also in favor of lower tariffs and improved relations with the United States.

The Great Depression of the Thirties was a highly disruptive period in Canadian history, politically, socially and economically. Liberalists, however, continued to defend the policies that had failed in the past. Many of its members began to demand that the government be in charge of finding work for Canada's unemployed, and they insisted that the wealth of the nation be divided equally to improve the quality of life of its citizens. This was the beginning of the rise of the Socialist movement in Canada, and it was also the beginning of a host of bitter disagreements as well as incessant public condemnation of political adversaries.

Although the first Socialist Party of Canada was actually founded in 1905, it did not gain any notable influence until the 1930's. Several members of the old party went on to form the current Socialist Party of Canada in 1931, proclaiming the following statement as their motto: "Our objective is to encourage the establishment of a system of society based upon the common ownership and democratic control of the means and instruments for producing and distributing wealth by and in the interest of society as a whole".

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