Education about religion(s) and the pursuit of a distinctly Canadian public good: A legal, historical and pedagogical analysis

Few discussions generate as much public controversy as do those regarding the relationship between religion and public policy, especially when it comes to education. Early in Canadian history, education and religion (in essence Christianity) were largely inseparable and the state was responsible for fostering this relationship. This arrangement was seriously tested at the time of Confederation when Roman Catholics in Quebec and Protestants in Ontario were anxious to maintain their denominational privileges vis-a-vis public schools. The resultant Confederation compromise, while necessary for Union, created inherent inequities in public education.;The time has come for provincial ministries to offer an optional "education about religion(s)" (EAR) course that seeks to include a diverse range of religious and nonreligious views and belief systems, to be academically accountable and to contribute to our country's public good.;The proposed EAR curriculum would not vitiate the foundational principles of the Charter, multiculturalism, or a liberal democracy; neither would it unduly compromise personal freedoms or violate student rights. Rather, a pedagogically sound EAR course would engender citizens who are better equipped to defend those principles and to contribute to the public good. A citizenry conversant in religious and non-religious beliefs, theories, practices and histories is one more aware of its human nature and the totality of that experience, one more able to make discerning choices, one more likely to understand and respect other worldviews and, therefore, one better able to effectively strengthen a free, diverse society.;This thesis defends this call for an elective EAR class in Canadian high schools through three lenses: the legal, the historical and the pedagogical. The author concludes that an education about religion(s) curriculum meets the three criteria for effective policy-making in Canada: It would not transgress any existing laws or fly in the face of jurisprudence; it would encourage a healthier relationship between education and religion than has been historically experienced in Canada; and, most importantly, it would be pedagogically enriching, even essential to citizenship preparation for the country's high school students.;These inequities became even more problematic as over the ensuing decades Canadian society continued to diversify culturally, linguistically and religiously. Late twentieth-century legislative enactments like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982 and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 1988 only served to further highlight how educational governance has not always changed at the same pace as has Canadian culture. The religious education (RE) that was promoted early in this country's history quickly became archaic and illegal in the public school classrooms of a multicultural, ostensibly secular nation. However, the secular education that has replaced RE in contemporary public high schools may be equally monolithic and ineffectual in terms of offering Canadian students a truly well-rounded education. This dissertation suggests that the most effective way to ameliorate this current educational deficiency is to find an appropriate balance between unabashed RE and secular humanism's current domination of public school administration and curricula.