Most Quebecers don't mind their tax dollars being spent on religious teaching in the province's public and private schools, a poll suggests.
Fifty-six per cent of 1,000 Quebecers polled last week by Leger Marketing said they favour some sort of religious instruction in French- and English-language public schools, along with continued funding of private religious schools.
The finding appears to fly in the face of a perception that most Quebecers want religion out of schools completely, according to the Association for Canadian Studies, which commissioned the poll.
The poll comes at a time when the Quebec government is deciding whether to to renew a clause in the Education Act that has allowed it since 2000 to skirt the Canadian Charter of Rights and allow the teachings of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism in schools. The clause comes due June 30.
In the poll, 32 per cent said they would like a school system where French- and English-language public schools offer students religious teaching in the religion of their choice (Catholic, Protestant or any other faith), with Quebec continuing to significantly fund private religious schools. Another 24 per cent said they favour the status quo (French- and English-language public schools that offer the choice of Catholic or Protestant instruction, or moral instruction, while keeping private religious schools significantly funded).
Another 29 per cent would rather eliminate public funding of religious teaching in all schools, public or private. And 11 per cent would prefer religious teaching be eliminated from public schools but that private religious schools remain significantly funded.
Made public Tuesday, the poll results were part of a larger survey Leger did between Feb. 9 and Feb. 13 across Quebec. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.