For Immediate Release
Toronto, November 21, 1996... B'nai Brith Canada leaders issued the following statement after the release of the Supreme Court decision that the Government of Ontario is not compelled to fund schools of religious minorities or to assist them in providing supplementary health services to their students.
Brian Morris, Immediate Past President of B'nai Brith Canada and current Chair of the B'nai Brith School Funding Project said, "it is now clear that the law of Canada can continue to distinguish between citizens on the basis of what is in the Constitution Act of 1867.
'We are concerned that the majority of the Supreme Court, which held that there is no violation of rights under section 15 of the Charter, did not fully come to grips with what it means to be a minority. They seem to imply that Canadians could easily discard their religion, that religious minorities are not compelled to continue to practice their faith and must be prepared to live with any financial burden necessitated by this 'choice'. We find this line of reasoning dangerous for religious minorities since it tends to empty the notion of freedom of choice of real significance."
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice-President added, "only Madam Justice Mclachlin and Madame Justice L'Heureux Dubé were able to put themselves in the shoes of minorities with respect to this issue and for us, gave stronger arguments. Nevertheless, the decision did indicate that opening funding to religious schools is well within the purview of provincial governments. Given the decision, B'nai Brith will continue to work with others to promote practical solutions to what we continue to see as a serious problem of inequity in our society. The test of whether this inequity is 'acceptable' in our Parliamentary democracy will be whether parties on the ground can arrive at equitable solutions for all."
B'nai Brith is Canada's major advocacy and volunteer organization which has been active in Canada for 125 years.
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