Terry Newman: The rest of Canada needs to adopt Quebec’s secularism laws

The Quebec fleur-de-lis flag flutters over the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Photo by TOM HANSON /Canadian Press

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Eleven teachers of North African descent who were suspended with pay in 2024 have lost their licences after teaching Islamic religious concepts and creating a “climate of fear and intimidation” by imposing strict rules on students attending a Montreal public school. The incident proves that Quebec’s secularism laws are not only necessary, but that they should be adopted across Canada.

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“Religion has no business in our schools,” Liberal MNA Michelle Setlakwe told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday announcing the decision to remove the teachers’ licences. “What happened in Bedford (elementary school) was terrible on so many levels … we don’t want these teachers around our children.”

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The situation at Bedford Elementary School in Côte-des-Neiges, a borough of Montreal, first emerged in May 2023, when radio journalist Valérie Lebeuf revealed it on the radio show “Le Québec maintenant.”

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At that time, Lebeuf investigated the issue by speaking with eight people who had attended the school and wanted to denounce what was happening but were afraid to speak publicly.

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According to Lebeuf, the situation involved tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim staff and harsh teaching methods that were creating a toxic environment. A “dominant clan” of North African teachers — some of whom attended a local mosque together — had been imposing strict rules on students and, if anyone tried to oppose them, they would resort to intimidation.

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This intimidation allegedly included psychological and physical abuse, including pushing, yelling and bullying of students at Bedford Elementary. Then-education minister Bernard Drainville painted a picture of a horrifying environment in which these teachers refused to recognize the existence of autism or to teach science or sexual education, as well as an instance in which a teacher started praying when a student lost consciousness instead of helping the child.

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In response, the Quebec Education Ministry launched an investigation, which resulted in an 89-page report released in June 2024 that confirmed the allegations. It identified 38 cases in which teachers refused to teach the curriculum. Out of 30 teachers investigated, it was found that only 10 planned their lessons in a way that followed provincial standards.

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The report found that a local mosque had a “strong influence” on several of the school’s staff and that mosque representatives had visited school administrators to impress upon them the importance of maintaining good relations with Muslim families.

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According to several witnesses, members of the mosque also allegedly intervened to ensure the school was following a “cultural model” that was in line with what the community favoured. The report notes that, given the limits of the committee’s mandate, these claims could not be substantiated.

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Staff members allegedly witnessed religious practices taking place in the school, including teachers performing religious rites in bathrooms and praying in classrooms, noting that most, but not all, were done in the teachers’ spare time and not in front of students.