Education system ‘effective,’ Notley says

No plan to defund Catholic schools

CALGARY Premier Rachel Notley says her NDP government isn’t interested in scrapping the Catholic school system in Alberta.

Notley has had strong words in recent days over a proposal by Catholic school superintendents for an alternative sex-education curriculum.

But despite that controversy, the premier said the government believes Alberta is generally wellserved by having a publicly-funded Catholic school system.

“Overall, we have had a very, very effective system of education in Alberta for many, many years,” said Notley in response to a reporter’s question about defunding Catholic schools. “Our government is not interested in having that overall debate at this time. I think we have high-quality education delivered both through the public school boards and through the Catholic school boards and I support being able to continue with that record.”

The 1905 Alberta Act, which is part of the constitution, grants Catholic Albertans the right to form separate school districts. But proponents of amalgamating the public and Catholic systems into one system, such as former PC education minister David King, say that both Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador replaced religious school systems with non-denominational ones with the permission of the federal government and without opening the constitution.

Catholic schools are drafting an alternative program around sex education because they have concerns the province’s new curriculum will clash with church teachings on homosexual relationships and gender identity.