Quebec will table bill on secularism in schools

As parliamentarians prepare for the holidays, Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced Friday morning that he intends to table a bill to “strengthen secularism in schools.”

The issue of secularism in schools sparked much debate since early October, with numerous school cases making headlines.

The government announced last month that it would conduct audits in 17 Quebec schools. The results of a report are expected in January.

However, the minister says he wants to act immediately, “in light of the events that are accumulating.”

He added that all options will be examined, at the request of Premier François Legault and Minister Responsible for Laicity Jean-François Roberge.

Drainville did not say exactly when the bill would be introduced.

“Our public schools in Quebec are secular. They must be places where our students can learn and socialize, without being subjected to any pressure linked to religious beliefs,” he said.

He goes on to say that schools must also embody Quebec values, including gender equality.

The spark for this debate was a report by the Ministry of Education on the Bedford school in Montreal, published in October, which notably discussed “certain religious practices, such as prayers in classrooms or ablutions in communal toilets.”

Girls were also banned from playing soccer, struggling students were denied specialized services, and science and sex education were taught little or not at all.

Eleven teachers from the school have since been suspended.

According to new reports, Drainville is investigating Saint-Maxime High School in Laval after teachers allegedly let students pray in class, employees were heard communicating with each other in Arabic and topics of gender equality were discussed in class and during school activities.

“Listen, this is not our Quebec,” said Drainville. He also denounced the fact that students apparently were “pressured” during sex education activities.

“The events brought to light at the Saint-Maxime school in Laval are completely intolerable and unacceptable. These acts of a religious nature clearly contravene obligations in terms of secularism.

“We expect the Laval school service centre to continue its checks. (…) If disciplinary action must be taken, we expect the service centre to impose it,” the minister added. “To the people listening to us; speak up to the school service centres, to the ministry, to the Student Ombudsman. The law of silence is over.”

Legault also denounced “Islamist religious concepts” in schools. “In Quebec, we will never question fundamental values ​​such as gender equality and secularism.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews