Secularism in schools: Quebec education minister ‘worried’ by report

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville has received the report on the 17 schools under investigation for potential breaches of secularism. Without revealing its contents, the minister said he was not reassured.

“I am as worried as I was,” he told reporters Thursday at the National Assembly.

The report is still being looked at. It should be made public in a few weeks.

The investigations come on the heels of the Bedford School controversy in Montreal.

Last year, a report from the Ministry of Education painted a devastating portrait of the school, reporting a toxic climate of fear and intimidation imposed by a clique of teachers.

Eleven teachers from Bedford School have since been suspended.

The government subsequently launched investigations into 17 schools to ensure compliance with secularism, following complaints from many citizens.

Drainville plans to introduce a bill to “strengthen secularism in schools.”

The 17 schools investigated are:

• École des Saints-Anges (Saint-Lambert)
• École Henri Beaulieu (Saint-Laurent; Montreal)
• École Saint-Pascal-Baylon (Montreal)
• École Bienville (Montreal)
• La Voie School (Montreal)
• École Saint-Justin (Montreal)
• École la Dauversière-Évangéline (Montreal)
• École Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption (Montreal)
• École Mont-de-La Salle (Laval)
• École Leblanc (Laval)
• École Jean-Jacques-Rousseau (Boisbriand)
• École Sainte-Odile (Quebec City)
• Cardinal Roy School (Quebec City)
• École d’éducation internationale Filteau (Quebec City)
• École polyvalente de l’Érablière (Gatineau)
• École Saint-Isidore (Chicoutimi; Saguenay)
• École Saint-Denis (Chicoutimi; Saguenay)

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews