Abstract

    How does the health and wealth of Ontario's and Quebec's families compare? What is the difference between children going to public and publicly funded separate school? These questions are examined by a review of four detailed profiles of public and separate school children in Ontario and Quebec.

    A definition of family health and wealth is first proposed, in terms of a wide range of indicators relating to the child, teen, parent, family and neigbourhood, for Ontario and Quebec. This allows a concluding assessment and comparison of the state of the family and child in the two provinces, and of public and separate school children.

    A preliminary assessment of the evidence suggests that Ontario's children are favoured over Quebec's on the whole, that separate school children fare better than public in Ontario, but that the reverse is the case for the children in Quebec.

    By reviewing the quality of children in the two school systems parents may be able to improve their decision making concerning what school system would be best for their children. Analytical evidence for Canada in our Monograph 47 is also relevant.

    A small number of examples of the quality indicators and evidence follow:

    Some 15% of Canada's children ignore the main parent's punishment half the time or more often; the percentage is 13% (not percentage points) lower among public school children in Ontario, 27% lower among separate school children in Ontario, 60% higher among public school children in Quebec, and 89% higher among separate school children in Quebec. Also, 27% of Canada's public and separate school children had no religious affiliation, and this percentage was 14% lower in Ontario, and 57% lower in Quebec - no estimates are available for public or separate school children. In the case of a negative indicator such as this, a lower percentage is assumed to be better from the child's standpoint.

    The strongest teen quality indicator for Ontario is never had sex, 51% in Canada, 14% (again, not percentage points) higher in Ontario (13% public; 16% separate), and 16% lower in Quebec (14% public; 21% separate). The strongest negative indicator for Quebec is had sex at age 14 or younger, 9% in Canada, 80% higher in Quebec (44% public; 167% separate), and 43% lower in Ontario (35% public).

    Some 69% of children in Canada had a main parent who did not smoke in 1995. This was 6% higher in Ontario among both public and separate school children and 9% lower in Quebec (6% lower, public; 17% lower, separate). Twenty-three percent of children in Canada had a main parent who worshipped weekly in 1995, 14% more in Ontario, and 51% lower in Quebec.

    As and example of a family quality indicator, some 34% of Canada's teens reported a very close relationship with their father, a higher percentage by 11% in Ontario, especially among separate school children (3% higher, public; 24% higher, separate) and a lower by 26% in Quebec, a little lower among public school than separate school children.

    And neighbourhood quality: in Canada, 34% of children in 1995 lived in neigbourhoods in which the main parent strongly agreed that adults watch out for child safety, 7% less than the national percentage in Ontario (-14% for public school children, and 4% for separate school children), and 31% more in Quebec (38% public school; 15% separate). In Canada, 39% of children were in homes where the parent strongly agrees that school spirit is high in 1995, and this percentage is 2% higher in Ontario and 10% higher in Quebec.