Full Description
The Canadian provinces have evolved quite different ways of responding to the policy problems posed by religious schools. Seeking to understand this peculiar reality, Faith, Rights, and Choice articulates the ways in which the provincial governance regimes developed for religious schools have changed over time.
Covering nearly three centuries, the book begins with the founding of schooling systems in New France and continues into a variety of present-day conflicts that emerged over the question of religion in schools. James Farney and Clark Banack employ a method of process-tracing, drawing on 88 semi-structured interviews with key policy insiders. They also reference archival material documenting meetings, political speeches, and legislative debates related to government decisions around issues of religious education. Relying on the theoretical foundations of both historical institutionalism and Canadian political development, Faith, Rights, and Choice presents a new analytic framework to help make sense of the policy divergence witnessed across Canada.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Faith, Rights, Choice, and Institutional Change
1. Ontario's Puzzling Continuity
2. The Incremental Secularization of Quebec's Education System
3. Faith's Resilience Creates Four Secular Systems in Atlantic Canada
4. Contention over Faith, the Shock of Rights, and Layered Choice in Manitoba
5. British Columbia's Sudden Embrace of a Regime of Rights and Choice
6. Incremental Change and Policy Layering in Saskatchewan
7. Layering Faith and Choice in Alberta
Conclusion: Faith, Rights, Choice, and Change
Table of Interviews
Bibliography
Index
