Failure Of Secularism In Canada

Another sector of Canadian society which is influenced by religious prejudice and which shows the failure of secularism in Canada are public institutions. In Canada, public schools have pushed toward becoming secular. However, there are still examples of the lack of secularism as well as religious preference. For example, in Quebec, objections to the kirpan’s allowance in schools in an example of secularism not aligning with the rules of public institutions. The kirpan, which is a religious symbol of Sikhs, was banned from public schools in Quebec, as it was seen as a potential weapon. However, the kirpan is in fact not a weapon, as Sikhs are forbidden under their religious rules to use it as a weapon, (Stoker, 2007, pp. 816-818). The interpretation in Quebec of what secularism is varied from that of Locke.

825). Another way in which Canada’s failure to meet Locke’s concept of secularism is apparent can be seen in government funding to catholic schools, (Seljak, 2016, p. 546). While the Canadian government claims to have no religious connection, numerous provincial governments provide funding which allows Catholic schools to be public. However, these governments do not provide funding toward to any other religious education. This is another violation of secularism, as it shows a clear preference to a particular religion, (Locke, 1991, p. 25). This preference of Christian is also apparent in other public institutions in