Article 93 of the Constitution of the Dominion of Canada adopted in 1867 provides that each provincial legislature shall have the exclusive right to determine laws concerning education in that province. It also provides for certain protections for denominational schools within a province and allows for appeal for any infringements upon minority rights.
The preamble to the Constitution Act of 1982 states that Canada recognizes the supremacy of God. Section 2 of
the 1982 act guarantees the fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression,
press, association and peaceful assembly.
The 1996 and 1997 US State Department Reports on Human Rights both state that the government of Canada respects
the right of religious freedom in practice. The constitutional provision that allows each state to determine their
own educational system has resulted in some interesting variations. In New Foundland for instance, until recently,
there were five separate denominational schools systems. Recently the citizens of that province ruled to abandon
this system in favor of a public system. In Ontario, school districts have the option to have no prayer in school,
or, if they desire to have prayer to offer eight prayers representing the religious traditions which are present
in the province.
2003 U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Canada
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