Since June 1, God has been banned from nurseries in the Canadian
province of Quebec, but a coalition of Christian, Jewish and Moslem
parents are challenging the new regulations, which affect 1,4000 state
funded day care centres.
The new rules allow for ‘cultural diversity or traditional or
historical activities’ but teaching a ‘belief, a dogma or the practise
of a specific religion’, is outlawed.
At the press conference announcing details of the ban last December,
an example was given to explain how the distinction would be enforced:
“…a historic activity would allow for the display of a nativity scene,
but would not allow talk about the birth of Jesus or explaining who Mary
or Joseph were,” said Yolande James, Family Minister.
She went on, “Young Quebecers who attend our day care services do so in a spirit of openness to others and diversity.”
Fifty-eight nursery inspectors have been hired who will visit the
region’s day care centres to make sure the ban is being enforced. Those
in breach of the ban risk losing all or part of the $40 (just under
€30) per day per child state subsidy. In these crèches, parents only
pay €5 a day.
Just before the introduction of the new rules, a coalition of mostly
Catholic and Jewish parents filed an injunction to suspend the
no-religion regulations.
They argue that when the Parti Québécois
government introduced its popular universal day care network in the
1998, the centres were to be reflections of the diverse communities they
served.
Today there are about 100 day care centres that offer a religious
focus, whether from a Christian, Jewish or Muslim perspective.
About
one in 20 are run by religious denominations.
These will no longer be
allowed to have songs to Jesus, pray to him, or even say grace together
before meals.
Jewish-run day cares will not be allowed to teach about Passover or
Old Testament stories such as Noah’s Ark if God is mentioned.
The list of do's and don’ts is complex; it is ok for a child to start
a prayer, but not a teacher. A priest can visit a day care, but not
offer religious instruction.
At least one director has already told a teacher to drop a reference
to God in the popular song Au Clair de la Lune, according to members of
the coalition.
Books with Bible stories are being pulled off shelves,
and children can henceforth be told about the building of Noah’s Ark but
not that God commanded it.
“This will be paralysing for our educators. They are emotionally
broken. For them it’s like punishing the children,” Danielle Sabbah,
president of an association of 17 Jewish day cares told the Globe and Mail. “In Jewish culture it’s very difficult to separate religion, tradition and culture.”
Marie-Josée Hogue, lawyer for the coalition, which includes more than
200 parents and associations from the Catholic, Jewish and Egyptian
Copt communities, said it is a fundamental question.
“The benefits of the law should be the same without distinctions like
religion and belief.” Day care, she said, “is a substitute to the home
environment.”
The Catholic Civil Rights League has stated that the new rules
discriminate against religious believers and is supporting the
Coalition’s court action.
“In effect, in the name of respect for
diversity, the government is abolishing true diversity more and more in
educational programs,” said Jean Morse-Chevrier, Quebec director for the
League and chair of the Association of Catholic Parents of Quebec.