Saskatchewan to invoke notwithstanding clause for Catholic school funding
REGINA — The Saskatchewan government says it will invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms so it can keep funding for non-Catholic students attending Catholic schools.
Premier Brad Wall says the move is about protecting the rights of parents and students to choose schools regardless of their faith.
“I think the notwithstanding clause is used very sparingly and should be used in unique circumstances, and this one is unique,” Wall said Monday at the legislature.
“This is now a matter of school choice for parents. And we’ve had the separate-school system say they don’t mind the fact that parents who may not be Catholic are choosing — maybe sometimes for convenience or location or just preference — to have their kids enrolled in those schools, and we think that choice is healthy.”