Alberta bishops urge Catholics to defend schools

Alberta’s Catholic bishops are warning that the Catholic school system in the province is under threat.

In a letter released to churchgoers for Catholic Education Sunday on the weekend, the bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories referenced the “heated public discourse” over Catholic school superintendents’ proposal for a parallel human sexuality curriculum.

That plan was shot down by the NDP government, though the bishops said the controversy had been fuelled by misinformation.

“Catholic schools teach the provincial curriculum through a Catholic lens. It is what we have always done; it is what we shall continue to do in all matters, including health and wellness,” wrote the bishops, including Bishop William McGrattan of the Calgary diocese and Edmonton’s Archbishop Richard W. Smith.

The Catholic leaders called for parishioners to stand up for Catholic schools in the province.

“Calls to dismantle our publicly funded Catholic school system are growing ever louder, and we must not ignore them. It is important that everyone be ready to stand up for our faith and for our schools,” they said.

“Everyone knows that the existence of our schools, fully permeated with our faith, is a constitutional right. Everyone should also know that this is a right we shall vigorously defend.”

While Premier Rachel Notley has been critical of the proposed Catholic sex ed curriculum over its handling of issues such as samesex relationships, gender identity and consent, she recently stated that her government has no interest in scrapping Alberta’s Catholic education system.

Notley’s comments around consent led the United Conservative Party to accuse her of falsely claiming that Catholics were in favour of non-consensual sex, a charge flatly denied by the premier.

Education Minister David Eggen told reporters Monday that he sensed “some sensitivity” at the moment, but the NDP government has a strong relationship with Catholic school boards across the province.

“Quite frankly, they do a good job. The results the Catholic school boards in this province produce are second to none,” Eggen said at the legislature.

Eggen said the dispute over the Catholic human sexuality program is a completely separate issue from the rest of the government’s dealings with Catholic educators.

“There’s a difference between the diocese and these schools as well,” he said. “That’s an important consideration.”

None of the bishops responded to a request for comment.

But Lorraine Turchansky, chief communications officer for the Edmonton archdiocese, said the comments in the bishops’ letter were not aimed specifically at the government, though she noted that Notley has yet to meet with the Alberta bishops since taking office despite their requests.

She said the letter was referring to proponents of amalgamating the province’s Catholic and public schools into a single public system, such as former Progressive Conservative education minister David King, who has launched an online campaign dubbed IDEA: Inclusive, Diverse Education for All.

King’s group has launched a petition campaign that calls for a referendum on a single public education system, as was held in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In May, Red Deer’s public school board voted in favour of a motion calling for such a system.

“The bishops and all of us are seeing these kinds of messages, and everyone is aware of the fact that there have been referendums in other provinces on this subject,” said Turchansky.

In an interview Monday, King said the bishops’ letter shows that the notion of moving away from the Catholic system is gaining momentum because of concerns ranging from duplication of services to policy disputes.

Despite this traction, the NDP government’s reluctance to grapple with the issue is not a surprise, he said.

“It’s going to be a conversation of some number of years in Alberta, maybe a few years and maybe more,” said King.