The Maritime Provinces, 1760-1867.— After the British conquest only a few Catholics —Indians, refugee Acadians and Irish settlers — remained in these regions. From 1766 to 1786 all teaching by ((popish was sternly prohibited by law, and even after that date Catholic schools were few and irregular. The repatriation of the Acadians, and Irish and especially Scottish immigration, gradually improved the Catholic position. In 1802 Father Edmund Burke, afterwards bishop, built a col lege at Halifax but could not find teachers. In 1820 he had two flourishing schools in that city, and the beginning of a seminary. As time passed other institutions of higher learning were opened, religious teachers brought in, and Catholic primary schools established, receiving in some places state aid.
The West 1760-1870.— In 1818 Father— afterward Bishop— Provencher established a mission on the Red River and opened schools at Saint Boniface and Pembina. He and his successor, Bishop Tache, labored earnestly in the cause of education. At Saint Boniface Latin classes were begun about 1823, a girls' school was established in 1829, and an indus trial school in 1838. By 1845 five Catholic schools were in permanent operation in the West, besides several of irregular character. Father Lacombe opened a school at Edmon ton in 1862, and about the same time the foun dations of Catholic education were being laid in British Columbia, where colleges were opened at Victoria, 1863, and at New West minster, 1866. The College of Saint Boniface had been established in 1857. In 1845 the Grey Nuns came to Saint Boniface, and in 1859 the Sisters of Saint Anne to Victoria. These measures were for the benefit of whites and Metis. Indian mission schools were established from 1833 on; a great impetus to this mission ary work was given after 1845 when it was largely taken over by the Oblate Fathers..
Confederation (1867).— By the British North America Act of 1867 the provinces of Canada (Upper and Lower Canada becoming Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united in federal union to form the Dominion of Canada. Other prov ices have since been added. Education was assigned to provincial control, but the prov inces were prohibited from interfering with de nominational rights as existent at the union, and the Dominion Parliament was empowered to redress any other infringements on the educa tional rights of religious minorities.
Ontario.— Elementary education is free and compulsory, and is provided by public and separate schools, both under state control. Since confederation the essential elements of the Catholic Separate School system have not been changed. Five or more Catholic heads of families in any locality may maintain a sep arate school and be exempted from public school rates. Trustees elected by the school supporters administer school business. Their revenues consist of (a) provincial grants, based on attendance, efficiency, etc., and dis tributed impartially among public and separate schools; (b) county and other municipal grants distributed on similar bases; (c) rates levied by the trustees on the property of sepa rate school supporters; (d) voluntary con tributions, chiefly from church funds. Teach
ers must have the same qualifications in sepa rate as in public schools. By a decision of the Privy Council in 1906 religious teachers were made subject to this rule, from which they had hitherto been exempt. The older religious teachers were, by legislation of 1907, given, on certain conditions, permanent qualification. Re ligious instruction is under the supervision of the parish priests. Secular instruction is identi cal with that in the public schools, and the same standards of efficiency are imposed by the pro vincial Department of Education. Textbooks are the same, except in English literature, in which extracts from Catholic authors are more largely used, and to some extent in history. Since 1882 the Department has maintained a distinct board of separate school inspectors.
Secondary education is supported by the province partly through advanced classes in public and separate schools, but mainly through high schools. No separate high schools are rec ognized. Catholic secondary education is of fered by private institutions, conducted gen erally by religious orders. There are 32 of these Catholic high schools, academies and col leges. Almost all such schools prepare candi dates for the examinations set by the Depart ment of Education, and many are inspected by provincial high school inspectors. The Uni versity of Ottawa, conducted by the Oblate Fathers, which was canonically erected by Pope Leo XIII in 1889, is the only active Cath olic university. There are English and French courses in arts, and a course in theology. Regiopolis College, closed in 1869 and reopened 1896, offers only secondary instruction. Saint Michael's College, one of the federated arts colleges of the provincial University of To ronto, is the most important centre of higher education for English-speaking Catholics. It has the full benefit of the lectures and equip ment of the university. University boards, on which Saint Michael's is represented, conduct the examinations—except that the college sets Its own papers in philosophy—and confer the degrees. There are 9 professors and 140 stu dents. Women students reside in Loretto Abbey College and Saint Joseph's College. Other colleges doing university work are As sumption College, Sandwich (founded 1855) and Saint Jerome's, Kitchener (1865). In northern Ontario colleges have been opened at North Cobalt (1912) and Sudbury (1913). The principal theological seminaries are Saint Au gustine's, Toronto (1913), Saint Peter's, Lon don (1912) and that attached to the University of Ottawa. In 1915 Ontario had 537 Catholic separate schools, with 1,389 teachers, 67,481 pupils and an average daily attendance of 45,733. The total receipts for the maintenance of these schools in the same year were $1,347,504 of which $42,131 was derived from provincial grants and $879,903 from municipal grants and assessments. The total expenditure in the same year amounted to $1,183,847, of which $503, 946 was for teachers' salaries and $366,625 for sites and buildings. The expenditure per pupil enrolled amounted to $17.54.