Quebec to ensure respect for secularism in 17 schools

Photo: iStock The announcement by the Ministry of Education comes in the wake of the scandal that has rocked the Bedford school since last month.

François Legault's government suspects that at least 17 schools in Quebec have directly violated the principles of the State Secularism Act in recent years. It will launch “audit mandates” in each of these establishments.

The announcement made Thursday in the wake of the scandal that has rocked the Bedford School since last month mainly targets schools in Greater Montreal. “The situation at the Bedford School has raised questions and concerns among the population, and I understand that perfectly. These audit mandates are necessary to protect our students,” said Education Minister Bernard Drainville in a press release issued early this morning.

The Ministry of Education states that “complaints and reports have been brought to [its] attention” throughout the network since it was revealed that a dozen employees at Bedford School, located in Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal, had been dictating the law to students under their authority for years.

The ministry had already confirmed that it was conducting audits at Saint-Pascal-Baylon School, where it was shown that several parents and employees had worked in recent years to cancel sex education classes. Five other schools in the Montreal School Services Centre (CSSDM) are targeted by such audit mandates.

Added to this are a series of schools in Quebec, Laval and Saguenay, in particular.

“Among the information that has been transmitted to the Ministry of Education in recent weeks, we note breaches related to the four principles of the Act respecting the secularism of the State, namely the separation of the State and religions, the religious neutrality of the State, the equality of all citizens, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion,” the Legault government emphasizes in its press release.

Minister Drainville's office also confirms that some CSSs are also conducting their own audits in parallel with respect to compliance with the law on religious neutrality. Depending on the results of all these mandates, it will assess the need to “strengthen controls and secularism in schools.”

“Shocked” by the revelations at Bedford School, Premier François Legault opened the door last month to strengthening — by regulation or through a legislative amendment — the place of secularism in the school system.

Schools targeted by audit mandates

CSS de la Capitale — École Sainte-Odile;

CSS de la Capitale — École Cardinal Roy;

CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys — École Henri Beaulieu;

CSS Marie-Victorin — École des Saints-Anges

CSS des Mille-Îles — Jean-Jacques-Rousseau School;

CSS de Montréal — Saint-Pascal-Baylon School;

CSS de Montréal — Bienville School;

CSS de Montréal — La Voie School;

CSS de Montréal — Saint-Justin School;

Montreal CSS — Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption School;

Montreal CSS — La Dauversière-Évangéline School;

Laval CSS — Mont-de-La Salle School;

Laval CSS — Leblanc School;

Discoverers CSS — Filteau School of International Education;

Draveurs CSS — Érablière Multipurpose School;

Saguenay Rivers CSS — School Saint-Isidore;

CSS des Rives-du-Saguenay — Saint-Denis School.