Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · October 16, 1890

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 5, No. 41

THE September Arena has an article from Thomas P. Gorman, in which, enumerating the grave problems which confront Canadian statesmen, the writer says:—

Then as to the separate school question, the Legislature of Manitoba has passed an act abolishing the existing school system in that province,—which is similar to that of Ontario,—and substituting therefor a public school system such as prevails in the American States. Although the British North American Act, the Constitution of the country, expressly declares that provincial legislatures have not the right to deprive the Protestant minority in Quebec, or the Roman Catholic minorities in other provinces, of any rights or privileges, with respect to education, which they enjoyed at the time of the union; the Manitoba Legislature, backed no doubt by popular opinion in the province, has undertaken to do something which the Constitution declares it shall not do. Not only does the British North American Act prohibit the local legislature from interfering with the separate school system, but it expressly declares that, in the event of that legislature failing to provide the money and machinery necessary for the carrying out of such a system, then the federal Parliament shall intervene and supply whatever is wanting. Then a new party has been formed in Ontario for the purpose of securing for that province full control of educational matters in that province, including the right of abolishing the separate school system.

Thus it appears that the mistaken zeal which leads men, calling themselves Protestants, to violate charters for the sake of gaining advantage not only in politics, but in religious propaganda, is not confined to the United States.