Quebec investigating 17 schools for possible violations of secularism law

Quebec's Education Ministry is monitoring 17 schools for possible violations of the province's secularism law.

The ministry released the list of the schools on Thursday.

According to its statement Thursday morning, the ministry is sending auditors to those schools after receiving several complaints and reports regarding violations of the secularism law, commonly referred to as Bill 21.

The ministry says the information it received pertains to the secularism law's "four principles": the separation of the state and religions, religious neutrality, equality and the freedom of conscience and religion.

"The mandates for these auditors are necessary to protect our students. Schools exist for them. Their safety and well-being have to be our top priorities," Education Minister Bernard Drainville said in a statement.

"We cannot let people with unacceptable behaviours or motives based on ideologies or personal beliefs enter our schools."

In an interview with CBC News, Drainville said each complaint went through a preliminary evaluation to determine if it was credible. He said he could not say how many complaints were either filed or retained given the "arm's length" relationship between his office and the ministry's investigative unit.

When asked if publishing the names of the schools on the watch list was a good idea, Drainville said the government wants to verify the complaints in a "very responsible and respectful way."

"If we did not respond to these complaints, people would say we're neglecting our responsibilities," he said. "We are responding to these complaints. I think that's what the public is expecting us to do."

The auditors will monitor the 17 schools until Jan. 17. 

Bedford controversy

Last month, Premier François Legault announced his government would try to find ways to better enforce secularism in schools.

The decision came in the midst of a controversy involving Bedford elementary school, which is located in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. The school was the subject of a 90-page government report looking into the conduct of teachers accused of creating a toxic environment for both students and staff. 

Those teachers, 11 in total, were suspended and had their teaching licences suspended.

The government report looked at their competence level, the effects of their behaviour on students and staff and the role religion may have played in their behaviour and the tensions at the school. 

Most of those teachers were, according to the report, of Maghrebi origin. The report also states that staff from other backgrounds were part of the problematic group — and that staff from Maghrebi origin were also part of an opposing group denouncing their colleagues. 

Its recommendations mainly focused on making sure teachers were competent enough to work in the school and improving the school service centre's ability to monitor the situation.

The report also mentioned situations where teachers took part in religious practices, like prayer or ablutions, though it found that these were mostly done away from students and on the teachers' own time.

WATCH | A look at how the secularism debate has been reignited: 

Why is the suspension of teachers at a Montreal school turning into a secularism debate?

1 month ago

Duration 1:34

Some provincial politicians are accused of pouncing on religion for political gain after a controversy at a Montreal elementary school was made public. In just a matter of days, the focus has shifted to secularism after 11 teachers were suspended for allegedly creating a toxic environment for students and staff.

On Oct. 22, well after the government report had been made public, Drainville said an investigative committee told him it had enough evidence to suggest that the province's secularism law was not being properly enforced.

Drainville said the auditors' findings will inform the government's next steps for the schools in question and the enforcement of secularism as a whole.

Marwah Rizqy, a Liberal MNA and education critic, welcomed the ministry's announcement.

She said she wants to see the government publish guidelines that clearly spell out what type of behaviour is unacceptable in a school setting. That way, she said, people would know when to file a complaint.

"It's important to act promptly to avoid a situation like Bedford, which dragged on and led to a harmful climate," Riqzy said.

Here are the 17 schools and the school service centres that oversee each one. Three of them, Bienville elementary school, Saint-Pascal-Baylon elementary school and La Voie High School, were already being monitored prior to Thursday's announcement.

• Saint-Odile (Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale)
• Cardinal Roy (Centre de service scolaire de la Capitale)
• Henri Beaulieu (Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys)
• Des Saint-Anges (Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin)
• Jean-Jacques-Rousseau (Centre de services scolaire des Mille-Îles)
• Saint-Pascal-Baylon (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• Bienville (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• La Voie (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• École Saint-Justin (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• La Dauversière-Évangéline (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
• Mont-de-La Salle (Centre de services scolaire de Laval)
• Leblanc (Centre de services scolaire de Laval)
• École d'éducation internationale Filteau (Centre de services scolaire des Découvreurs)
• École polyvalente de l'Érablière (Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs)
• Saint-Isidore (Centre de services scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay)
• Saint-Denis (Centre de services scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay)

Last month, a report about a case of possible religious indoctrination at Alphonse-Pesant elementary school in Montreal's Saint-Léonard borough prompted Drainville to demand answers from the Pointe-de-l'Île school service centre. 

Thursday, the school service centre confirmed that an investigation determined the allegations were unfounded.