Prayer rooms, student groups fuelling tensions in Quebec colleges, government report finds

Holly Cabrera · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 1:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A Quebec government-commissioned probe into the field clime astatine Dawson and Vanier colleges is recommending the adoption of a instrumentality to "oversee world state successful the assemblage system" with the purpose of reducing tensions among students.

The study published Friday, aft it had archetypal appeared successful the Journal de Montréal, recovered that the principles of secularism are not being followed astatine some colleges.

It raised respective issues linked to pupil associations and spiritual accommodations and points to the availability of supplication rooms for fuelling a "climate of radicalization, assemblage withdrawal" and mistrust astatine the inferior colleges (CEGEPs).

Quebec Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry called for the probe successful November 2024, pursuing complaints from students who said they felt unsafe due to the fact that of tensions stemming from the ongoing conflicts successful the Middle East.

The investigation, which consists of astir 50 interviews with medication members of some colleges, was completed successful June.

Déry said successful a quality connection connected Friday that the study highlights failings, which person "deeply undermined the clime astatine some colleges, fuelled tensions and weakened assemblage life."

"As a government, we cannot tolerate our campuses becoming a country of division," she said.

"Attending an acquisition instauration successful a steadfast and harmless situation is not a privilege; it is simply a right, and this close is non-negotiable."

Minister 'inventing problems to solve,' teachers' radical says

Yves de Repentigny, who represents a teachers' group, blasted the report, saying it deviated from its archetypal mandate and that Déry was "inventing problems to solve." 

"The study was astir the information and information of students successful Vanier and Dawson college, and well, it turned retired that each bylaw, that each corporate statement had been respected," said de Repentigny, vice-president of the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ). 

He noted that tensions whitethorn originate successful CEGEPs due to the fact that inferior colleges are portion of higher education, wherever students are taught to face values and opinions that disagree from their own. 

"If you cannot larn to header with disagreement and tensions successful CEGEPs, wherever tin you larn that?" helium said.

WATCH | Why the Quebec authorities thinks secularism is being undermined astatine colleges: 

De Repentigny said that successful 2022, the FNEEQ wanted CEGEPs to beryllium covered nether Quebec's Bill 32 to warrant world state due to the fact that assemblage departments should stay arsenic "autonomous arsenic possible" erstwhile it comes to designing people contented and teaching.

But helium noted that the enactment "wouldn't enactment connected that with the existent minister" due to the fact that the FNEEQ has lost each assurance in Déry and is asking for her to resign.

In a associated connection issued Friday afternoon, Dawson and Vanier said they were amazed to person the study aft it was shared with the media, adding that they are inactive successful the process of conducting a thorough analysis. 

"We reaffirm our beardown committedness to our acquisition ngo and our work to make engaged and funny citizens susceptible of dialogue," said the statement.

'Climate of suspicion'

Faculty, students and pupil associations astatine Dawson and Vanier person been experiencing friction linked to the Israel-Palestinian struggle since 2023, the study says.

The study suggests the mentation of world state astatine the colleges has caused a "climate of suspicion and the instauration of cliques among professors," which could negatively interaction acquisition services and students.

Tensions astatine the colleges person manifested done conferences, pupil newspapers, specified arsenic the Plant astatine Dawson College, and immoderate clubs promoting the usage of a keffiyeh, according to the report, which notes that the favoritism betwixt taste and spiritual elements of immoderate pupil clubs is unclear.

Student associations astatine Dawson and Vanier are liable for organizing activities and promoting the social, taste and recreational interests of students.

However, according to the report, activities organized by pupil clubs "foster the formation of cliques that exclude immoderate students who bash not stock the aforesaid goals."

"This concern creates tensions that springiness emergence to complaints," the study reads. "Moreover, immoderate clubs besides show their affiliation with sociopolitical activistic movements successful the discourse of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Christopher Zéphyr, the president of the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec, which represents students crossed CEGEPs, said it was "deplorable" for the government to suggest that an instauration dictate the interior workings of a pupil association.

He besides pointed to a committee presently studying secularism successful CEGEPs. 

"No substance the conclusions of that commission, for me, it's important they respect accessibility to higher education," said Zéphyr. 

"A communal supplication country for everyone is an accessibility measurement and was really enactment guardant arsenic a solution by pupil groups."

Report recommends module subordinate articulation pupil paper

The study recommends that the instrumentality connected the accreditation and financing of pupil associations beryllium updated to springiness institutions the indispensable tools to intervene successful "problematic situations" and putting successful spot mechanisms to guarantee the adherence to the province's secularism law.

To code unclear valuation criteria successful immoderate classes, the study recommends a reappraisal of accomplishment requirements for connection courses portion taking into relationship "departmental responsibilities, world state and the teaching discourse successful colleges."

For Dawson specifically, the study recommends that astatine slightest 1 module subordinate articulation the editorial squad of the college's pupil newspaper.

"This signifier had been antecedently discontinued astatine the petition of the pupil relation astatine the time," a spokesperson for Dawson wrote successful the associated statement, saying they volition reappraisal this peculiar recommendation.

The study besides recommends that Vanier establishes authoritative criteria for choosing impermanent speakers and topics for conferences. In the statement, a spokesperson for Vanier said it welcomed the recommendation.

Diane Gauvin, manager wide of Dawson College, said successful an email earlier Friday that the medication is speechmaking the study carefully.

"The study contains galore elements, including recommendations for which colleges person small oregon nary control, arsenic good arsenic others that would interaction each CEGEPs," Gauvin said.