From here:
An Ontario school is fighting a human rights complaint over its Christian life centre and relationship with Habitat For Humanity.
In November 2013 – in his second action against the District School Board of Niagara – Rene Chouinard filed an Ontario Human Rights Code complaint arguing the board “continues to exhibit preferences for Protestant Christianity” at its facilities.
Chouinard, an atheist father, signalled out Eden High School in St. Catharines, Ont.
His complaint said the board has “continued to allow other missionary organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, to operate Christian mission activities within its programs.”
The school also has privately funded Spiritual Life Centre, which Eden’s website says provides a “meaningful program to assist in the development and support of Eden’s students through a rich array of life activities.”
That centre describes its mandate as “leading students to learn of Christ and live for Christ.”
A hearing on the complaint was held before a human rights tribunal in St. Catharines on Monday
The tribunal adjourned to rule on the issue of Chouinard’s standing – whether or not he has the right to take the complaint to tribunal. That written decision is expected to be made shortly.“I have a kid in one of those schools,” Chouinard told QMI Agency after the hearing. .
Chouinard wrote in his complaint the board’s activities exposed him to abuse and “character assassination in the local media and community.”
Among other effects, he alleges are that there has been harm to his three children in that they have perceived Christianity as the norm and “concepts of non-belief were not respected.”
He is seeking $50,000 in compensation from the school board to run a long-term media campaign promoting the validity of secular humanism.
Chouinard is complaining that “concepts of non-belief were not respected.” If he is an atheist, he believes that God does not exist: he has a belief – admittedly, not a particularly rational belief, but a belief nonetheless, so the missing respect does not apply to him. An agnostic can claim “non-belief”, not an atheist.
Canada’s laws and standards of morality have their foundation in a Judeo-Christian understanding of how the created order works. If Chouinard can’t cope with this, he should relocate to a country where atheism is the state religion; he would feel more at home. North Korea comes to mind.
This sort of thing is why people dislike atheists. And any law that allows this kind of malicious prosecution is a bad law.
I thought that Dalton McGuinty campaigned in an Ontario election about the importance of our public schools being for everyone, including Christians. This because John Tory’s idea of extending government funding to religious schools was, according to McGuinty, a bad idea as it would have had the effect of segregating our children from each other. So McGuinty won the election. Now because of the unaffordable high cost of private education Christians are financially forced to enrol their children in the government run schools, and are supposedly valued members of the school community.
However, it seems that Chouinard is offended by our very presence.
I was of the impression that an “inclusive” school would be “accommodating” to all students, including Christians, and allow all students, including Christians, to fully be themselves and to express themselves. Seems that Chouinard has a different opinion.
There are morons under every flag.
At the risk of being considered racist…………he is after all French. The French mindset is different in that they actually think their world view is superior. Not knowing his background or his ‘life journey’ I cannot comment on what would precipitate his adamant view on this topic. I do however think it is a waste of the tribunal’s time. Taxpayer’s are paying ‘the dime’ for this exploitation of the court’s time. This sort of self righteous indignation should not waste anyone’s time. Merciful Lord, save us! Pun intended.
As his children do not attend the school in question (which the Board operates as an alternative school – ie one can choose to attend or not), it seems that the Human Rights tribunal has reserved its decision on whether the complainant has standing or not. It is entirely possible (even probable) that the tribunal will decline to hear the case. It is different from his previous (successful) complaint, which concerned distribution of Bibles by the Gideons to his own child.
Asked and answered Patrick.
I am totally amazed at how much attention is given to dismissing anything related to Christianity from the public school system particularly when festivals of other religions – the Diwali Festival and the so-called Festival of Lights – are readily allowed with virtually no resist from the general public or school boards. I firmly believe it is entirely appropriate for the Gideons to distribute Bibles in the schools subject to the acceptance of individual parents.