How a Montreal school reignited a debate over secularism and Bill 21 in Quebec

Investigation at Montreal School Sparks Debate on Secularism in Quebec Education

An inquiry into a climate of fear at a primary school in Montreal has reignited discussions about secularism within Quebec's education system. The provincial government has committed to exploring new measures to ensure that religion remains excluded from classrooms.

Quebec's education minister stated that the province’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, was not being adhered to at the school and may need to be reinforced. His remarks come in the wake of a report released earlier this month, which revealed that a group of teachers at Bedford school, many of whom are of North African descent, subjected students to physical and psychological violence.

The situation has been a major topic in Quebec news this week, especially after the opposition Parti Québécois characterized it as “a case of Islamist infiltration” in the public school system. The Coalition Avenir Québec government quickly echoed these concerns.

However, critics argue that the emphasis on religion is a diversion that distracts from the reality that authorities allowed the troubling situation at Bedford to persist for years without intervention.

On Tuesday, Quebec Premier François Legault shared his first thoughts on the matter via social media, expressing that he was “very shocked” by the “attempt by a group of teachers to introduce Islamist religious concepts into a public school.”

This marked a notable change in the government’s tone, which had previously refrained from directly linking the events at Bedford to religious issues. The Education Department released its report on Bedford school on October 11, following an investigation prompted by a Montreal radio station's reports last year, which detailed how a dominant group of teachers enforced an autocratic atmosphere at the school.