1
2
3 Manitoba School Question
4
5 The Laurier and Greenway Compromise
6 -------------------------------
7
8
9 TERMS OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND THE
10 GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF THE SCHOOL QUESTION,
11 NOVEMBER 16, 1896.
12
13 1. Legislation shall be introduced and passed at the next
14 regular session of the Legislature of Manitoba embodying the
15 provisions hereinafter set forth in amendment to the "Public
16 Schools Act," for the purpose of settling the educational questions
17 that have been in dispute in that province.
18 2. Religious teaching to be conducted as hereinafter
19 provided: --
20 (1) If authorized by a resolution passed by a majority of the
21 school trustees, or,
22 (2) If a petition be presented to the board of school
23 trustees asking for religious teaching and signed by the parents or
24 guardians of at least ten children attending the school in the case
25 of a rural district, or by the parents or guardians of at least
26 twenty-five children attending the school in a city, town or
27 village.
28 (3) Such religious teaching to take place between the hours
29 of 3.30 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and to be conducted by any
30 Christian clergyman whose charge includes any portion of the school
31 district, or by a person duly authorized by such clergyman, or by
32 a teacher when so authorized.
33 (4) Where so specified in such resolution of the trustees, or
34 where so required by the petition of the parents or guardians,
35 religious teaching during the prescribed period may take place only
36 on certain specified days of the week instead of on every teaching
37 day.
38 (5) In any school in towns and cities where the average
39 attendance of Roman Catholic children is forty or upwards, and in
40 villages and rural districts where the average attendance of such
41 children is twenty-five or upwards, the trustees shall, if required
42 by the petition of the parents or guardians of such number of Roman
43 Catholic children respectively, employ at least one duly
44 certificated Roman Catholic teacher in such school.
45 In any school in towns and cities where the average attendance
46 of non-Roman Catholic children is forty or upwards, and in villages
47 and rural districts where the average attendance of such children
48 is twenty-five or upwards, the trustees shall, if required by the
49 petition of the parents or guardians of such children, employ at
50 least one duly certificated non-Roman Catholic teacher.
51 (6) Where religious teaching is required to be carried on in
52 any school in pursuance of the foregoing provisions, and there are
53 Roman Catholic children and non-Roman Catholic children attending
54 such school, and the school-room accommodations does not permit of
55 the pupils being placed in separate rooms for the purpose of
56 religious teaching, provisions shall be made by regulations of the
57 Department of Education (which regulations the Board of school
58 trustees shall observe) whereby the time allotted for religious
59 teaching shall be divided in such a way that religious teaching of
60 the Roman Catholic children shall be carried on during the
61 prescribed period on one-half of the teaching days in each month,
62 and the religious teaching of the non-Roman Catholic children may
63 be carried on during the prescribed period on one-half of the
64 teaching days in each month.
65 (7) The Department of Education shall have the power to make
66 regulations not inconsistent with the principles of this Act for
67 the carrying into effect the provisions of this Act.
68 (8) No separation of the pupils by religious denominations
69 shall take place during the secular school work.
70 (9) Where the school room accommodation at the disposal of
71 the trustees permits, instead of alloting different days of the
72 week to the different denominations for the purpose of religious
73 teaching, the pupils may be separated when the hour for religious
74 teaching arrives, and placed in separate rooms.
75 (10) Where ten of the pupils in any school speak the French
76 language (or any language other than English) as their native
77 language, the teaching of such pupils shall be conducted in French
78 (or such other language), and English upon the bilingual system.
79 (11) No pupils to be permitted to be present at any religious
80 teaching unless the parents or guardians of such pupils desire it.
81 In case the parents or guardians do not desire the attendance of
82 the pupils at such religious teaching, then the pupils shall be
83 dismissed before the exercises, or shall remain in another room.
84
85
86 SOURCE:
87 Canada, (1897), no. 35, 1-2.