St. Francis of Assissi Catholic Secondary School is one of three Catholic schools receiving public funds for 1.8 full time teaching positions. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – An over-60-year-old agreement restricting public funds from paying for religious education is being violated according to the Yukon NDP with uncertainty over how much money has been spent on Catholic schools.
The 1962 agreement with the Catholic Episcopal Corporation states that the Catholic Church will provide “at no cost to the Government of the Yukon Territory all necessary instructors, religious books, whether hymn, prayer or otherwise, sacred objects and all other religious accessories, appointments, furnishings and paraphernalia.”
Education Minister Jeanie McLean indicates that the government is currently funding 1.8 full-time teaching positions for religious instruction.
The Department of Education is also reviewing the agreement’s evolution after 1962 and has so far worked back to 2006.
While the Yukon Government has not disclosed the exact amount spent on Catholic education, Yukon NDP Leader Kate White estimates that the cost of the 1.8 teaching positions since 2006 amounts to roughly $3.3 million.
“That number can go up and down and we only know 18 years for sure,” said White. “How far back does it go? I’m unsure.”
Minister McLean said White has her own interpretation of the agreement and the department’s review will determine how the agreement evolved and aligns with the Education Act and post-1962 policy changes.
“I’ve asked my department to go back in time and unpack this in terms of how and when things changed, or if they’ve always existed in this way,” said McLean.
