Quebec education minister will table bill to strengthen secularism in schools

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville says he will table a bill in the coming days to strengthen secularism in Quebec schools.

Drainville made the announcement in a video posted on his X account. Premier François Legault shared the minister's post and wrote, "Secularism in our schools is non-negotiable. In the coming days, we will take action to strengthen it."

This comes after a Montreal elementary school made headlines last fall for reports of tension between Muslim and non-Muslim teachers began circulating.

It's a controversy that ultimately led to 11 teachers being suspended for allegedly creating a toxic environment for students and staff since 2016 at Bedford elementary school.

A government report published in October found the group of teachers, many of North African descent, had imposed autocratic rule at the school. It found that teachers yelled at and humiliated students. Subjects like science and sex education were either ignored or barely taught, and girls were prevented from playing soccer.

A subsequent investigation into 17 other Quebec schools found few breaches of the secularism law, but did note that some teachers are adjusting course material so as not to offend religious beliefs.

"School exists for our children. I was truly shaken by what happened in Bedford and other schools. This is not what Quebec schools are like," Drainville says in his X post Tuesday.

In the video, he says the government has discovered many other schools which are not observing laicity — a reference to Quebec's secularism law, known as Bill 21. 

"As the minister of education, I have a responsibility to act because Quebec schools are secular," he says.

Just last week, the Quebec government announced a new committee to make recommendations on how to strengthen secularism in the province, including by possibly restricting public prayer.

Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for secularism in Quebec, said the committee will "document the phenomenon of infiltration of religious influences" in all public institutions.

He said the committee will also look at what can be done to prevent people from praying in public streets and parks, including during protests — something Legault has said he wants to ban.