Regina, Canada, May 7, 2017 / 02:28 am
The Saskatchewan government has said it will seek a temporary exemption to block a judge's ruling that could force up to 10,000 students out of Catholic schools because they are not Catholic.
"We support school choice, including public, separate and faith-based schools," Premier Brad Wall said, adding, "We will defend school choice for students and parents."
He responded to a ruling that barred taxpayer funding for non-Catholic students at Catholic schools. Besides the Catholic schools, the ruling could affect 26 other faith-based schools, including a school for Muslim students.
Premier Wall said that the use of the exemption, called a notwithstanding clause, will protect the rights of students and parents "to choose the schools that work best for their families, regardless of their religious faith."