The Forgotten Principles of Secular Education in Canada
Dimitri Soudas begins with a personal disclosure that might initially seem to contradict his forthcoming argument. This Sunday marks Greek Orthodox Easter, the most sacred day in his faith, celebrating the Resurrection as the centerpiece of the Orthodox Christian calendar. His family will gather, as they do annually, to observe this holy day that connects them to their heritage, ancestors, and God.
A Troubling Incident of Religious Inflexibility
Yet, this week, Soudas learned that students in the York Region District School Board—children of Greek Orthodox faith—were denied flexibility to write their tests even a day or two later to accommodate this deeply sacred religious observance. No leeway was granted, with the board citing strict adherence to rules. Soudas found this troubling, but not for the reasons one might expect.
The Contradiction in Public School Accommodations
What Soudas finds equally troubling is that the same school board, like other publicly funded boards, schedules "diamond days"—days off granted for various religious and cultural observances—more frequently in some cases than standard professional activity days. Publicly funded schools in many jurisdictions have installed prayer rooms within their walls. The secular public institution, funded by every taxpayer regardless of faith, has quietly become a mosaic of religious accommodation while simultaneously failing to offer two extra days to a Greek Orthodox child before a math test.
Something has gone sideways, and it's time we said so out loud, Soudas asserts.
Clarifying the Argument for Secularism
Let me be precise about what I am not saying, Soudas emphasizes. I am not saying religion is unimportant. I am not saying faith has no place in the lives of Canadians. I am not saying that Greek Orthodox Easter, or Eid, or Diwali, or any other religious observance is less valid, less meaningful, or less worthy of respect. Every person's relationship with their faith is their own, and in a free and democratic society, that relationship must always be protected.
But freedom of religion has two sides to it—and we have become dangerously comfortable with only one of them, Soudas warns.
The Core Principle of a Secular State
A secular state means that the state does not favor one religion over another. It also means that the state does not allow religion—any religion—to colonize public institutions funded by the common purse. A school funded by taxpayers is not a cathedral, a mosque, a synagogue, or a temple. It is a public institution, bound by a civic compact: to educate every child, regardless of background, to the best of its ability, for the maximum number of instructional days possible.
The Problem with Prayer Rooms in Schools
Prayer rooms in public schools are a violation of that compact, Soudas argues. Not because prayer is wrong, but because prayer belongs in the home, in the house of worship, in the private sphere that a free society zealously protects. When we install prayer rooms in schools, we are not being inclusive—we are blurring a boundary that exists precisely to protect everyone equally, including the believers. The moment the state endorses one form of worship through the infrastructure of a public building, it has taken a side. And the secular state has no business taking sides on matters of faith.
This perspective calls for a renewed commitment to the foundational principles of secular education in Canada, ensuring that public schools remain neutral spaces dedicated solely to academic excellence and equal opportunity for all students.
