Breaches of the Law on State Secularism: 17 schools in the sights of Quebec

The Minister of Education will send auditors to 17 educational establishments in Quebec where breaches of the law on secularism have been reported since the revelations concerning Bedford elementary school.

Complaints from citizens, teachers and general directors of school service centers multiplied in the wake of the report which revealed the presence of a toxic climate imposed by 11 teachers, mainly of North African origin, in a Montreal school.

Quebec claims to have received reports concerning other establishments located in the metropolis, but also in Laval, Longueuil, Outaouais, the Capitale-Nationale and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (see the list below).

Seventeen locations were targeted, including three which are already the subject of an investigation (Saint-Pascal-Baylon, Bienville and La Voie) and which will undergo further verifications. Of the lot, ten are primary schools and seven are secondary level educational establishments.

Religious signs

However, these new denunciations do not concern situations similar to that of Bedford, it is specified in Quebec.

Rather, these are breaches of one of the four principles of the Law on State Secularism (separation of the State and religions, religious neutrality of the State, equality of citizens, freedom of conscience and religion).

For example, citizens have denounced the wearing of religious symbols or the presence of accommodations contrary to the secular spirit.

The ministry initially validated the relevance of the complaints, and Quebec is now sending auditors who will be responsible for making a report.

These verifications will be carried out under the State Secularism Act, while the investigations already announced concerning Bedford and the three other schools are carried out under the Public Education Act.

In the office of the Minister of Education, it is argued that the audit mandates aim to “protect our students”.

“In recent weeks, people have contacted us to denounce actions occurring in schools that are contrary to the principles of secularism. As a government, our duty is to act,” we say in a written declaration.

Strengthen the law

The Bedford school scandal created quite an uproar in Quebec, where the Prime Minister denounced an “attempt by a group of teachers to introduce Islamist religious concepts into a public school.”

François Legault then said he was ready to “strengthen controls and secularism in schools […] to ensure we prevent these situations.”

At the same time, he called on Quebecers to denounce this type of abuse.

The prime minister, however, found himself in hot water by opposing a unanimous demand from opposition parties to end public funding of private religious schools.

Quebec instead wishes to ensure the secular character of establishments under its control, such as Bedford, while avoiding penalizing places which respect the curriculum despite a religious vocation.

“All that the PQ found good to say was to table a motion to abolish the financing of private schools of Catholic tradition, as if it were necessary to put, in Quebec, Islamism and the Catholic religion. It’s embarrassing, embarrassing to hear the PQ,” François Legault declared during question period.

TARGETED SCHOOLS

CSS of the Capital

• Sainte-Odile School
• Cardinal-Roy School

Discoverers CSS

• Filteau School of International Education

CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys

CSS Marie-Victorin

Thousand Islands CSS

• Jean-Jacques-Rousseau School

Montreal CSS

• Saint-Pascal-Baylon School
• Bienville School
• La Voie School
• Saint-Justin School
• Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption School
• La Dauversière-Évangéline School

• Mont-de-La Salle School
• Leblanc School

CSS des Draveurs

• Érablière comprehensive school

CSS des Rives-du-Saguenay

• Saint-Isidore School
• Saint-Denis School