Mr. Speaker, yes I can enlarge on it. The point is that religious syncretism which is implied by the new non-denominational courses in religion under the proposed new term is contrary to the basic values that many families hold. The values they hold are to look at the world from a particular religious perspective rooted in tradition in many cases going back 2,000 years.
For those people to have to send their children to a school where they are going to be taught that there really is no difference between the religions, that all the truth claims of all the religions are irrelevant and illegitimate, that they can pick and choose between the moral values which will guide their lives is offensive. That is why so many parents oppose this.
I would like to make one other point in reference to the hon. member's question. This is the point of pluralism. What we are doing with this amendment is to impose a monistic system of education, that is to say, a one world view system of education which is inimical to the pluralism which is supposedly a value that is so important to this country.
Pluralism means in the words of Edmund Burke that you have many different little platoons in civil society, people coming together around common convictions in different church groups. That is what is reflected in the current education system in Newfoundland.
What we want is pluralism, not a monolithic cookie cutter stereotype system where all children are forced to have the same kind of educational experience.
A vote against term 17, the proposed new term, is a vote for pluralism and therefore I submit a vote for the ultimate Canadian value.