TORONTO, ON November 29, 2013 – The League has filed an application to intervene in the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) appeal of Montreal’s Loyola High School, which is seeking to modify Quebec’s Ethics and Religious Culture (ECR) course to teach it from a Catholic standpoint.
The League, in a joint application with the Association of Catholic Parents of Quebec, Faith and Freedom Alliance and The Association of Coptic Christians of Montreal, emphasized the religious freedom aspects of the case, and the role of the state in encouraging religious freedom, in its application. “If granted leave to intervene in this appeal, the Moving Parties intend to focus their submissions, on some or all, of the issues concerning corporate or collective freedom of religion, multiculturalism and, parental rights under the Charter, as well as parental rights under Québec civil law,” the memorandum of argument states.
The League was an intervener at the SCC in the case of SL and DJ vs. Commission scolaire des Chênes, in which parents had sought unsuccessfully to exempt their children from the ECR course.
Loyola High School had asked to cover the ECR course material in a world religions’ course based on its Catholic perspective, which it had already been offering for a number of years, a request which was upheld by the Quebec Superior Court but appealed by the province.
The Court of Appeal decision, issued December 4, 2012, declared that because Loyola’s course is Catholic in orientation, it could not be considered equivalent to the ECR program, because the ECR course was specifically designed to be religiously “neutral.”
Loyola decision infringes on parental choices, says CCRL, League press releases, December 6, 2012
Quebec Catholic school principal fights for right to teach religion course with faith, National Post, October 30, 2013
About CCRL
Catholic Civil Rights League (www.ccrl.ca) assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, cooperates with other organizations in defending civil rights in Canada, and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs. CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization and has chapters across Canada. The Catholic Civil Rights League is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.
For further information:
Joanne McGarry, Executive Director, 416-466-8244; joanne.mcgarry@ccrl.ca