Hanes: Report conflates political tensions with religious conflict at CEGEPs

Montreal Gazette

4 days ago

When Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry dispatched investigators to Dawson and Vanier colleges last December, her stated aim was to ensure the 'physical and psychological well-being of students' was being respected on those campuses amid strife over the Israel-Hamas war.
Nearly seven months later, that probe found a 'deteriorating' and 'toxic climate' caused in part by militant student groups and politicized course content. But it also seems to have turned into a fishing expedition, dredging up all kinds of flotsam and jetsam that may well have caught the government's eye, but strays from the original purpose.
The ministry report also blames prayer rooms and religious accommodations for contributing to 'radicalization and proselytism' that 'accentuate tensions' at the two English colleges, though it offers scant evidence and few examples to back these claims.
The recommendation that Quebec's secularism laws be reinforced at CEGEPs is a red herring that will do little to ease the very real strains roiling academic institutions. It conflates political polarization with religious friction. And it conveniently provides new fodder for the Coalition Avenir Québec government's desire to expand secularism legislation, further restricting minority rights.
There is no doubt that the animosity on Quebec college and university campuses is a serious matter that deserves to be addressed.
Since the terror group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the relentless bombardment of Gaza, many academic institutions have struggled to uphold the rights to protest and of free expression while ensuring students and staff of all backgrounds feel secure.
Whether it's here in Montreal, where pro-Palestinian protesters took over the front lawn of McGill University for much of last summer, or demonstrations on campuses across North America, there are no easy answers for keeping the peace.
The ministry report acknowledges these challenges. In 71 pages, it examines various policies and protocols in place at Dawson and Vanier to respond to complaints that have arisen on campus due to the war in Gaza. And it doesn't find fault with how the administrations handled these complex and tricky situations.
When the Hillel Club at Vanier was vandalized on Christmas night of last year, for instance, the administration sprang into action over the Christmas holidays to alert affected students, boost security and organize mental health supports.
When Dawson students voted to strike in solidarity with Palestinians last November, the administration acted on a parental complaint about a professor who was alleged to have encouraged his students to take part. The decision to close the college for the day was a last resort after weighing the risks of tensions spiralling out of control.
The report doesn't suggest what Vanier or Dawson could have done better or differently under the circumstances.
Nevertheless, Déry lamented a 'series of failures that have profoundly undermined the climate at both colleges' in a statement accompanying the report.
There were already calls for Déry to resign for ordering a politically motivated witch hunt seen as an attack on academic freedom.
The bulk of the recommendations stemming from the investigation venture into touchy territory. They include limiting academic independence because of questions about the validity of a Palestinian literature class and cracking down on student groups that have become politicized.
This would require reopening collective agreements and overhauling governance structures because the CEGEPs are constrained by current rules. But such draconian measures could have unintended repercussions on other aspects of college life.
Where the report really veers off course, however, is in its focus on secularism.
The probe examined with a fine-tooth comb the policies at both Dawson and Vanier for accommodating students when exams or course work conflict with religious holidays not recognized by the school calendar. After spelling them out, it notes simply: 'the two institutions have not received any official complaints on accommodation requests for absences during religious festivals.'
What this has to do with angst over the war in Gaza is unclear.
The report delves deeper into the history of prayer spaces at both colleges.
It notes that there has been a room at Dawson used exclusively by Muslim students for 15 years. When the CEGEP needed to reclaim the area in 2024, it was moved to a temporary location that will likely become its new home.
Meanwhile, Jewish students asked for a space of their own in the fall of 2024.
'At this time, a room is under renovation to respect Jewish religious obligations,' the report states.
Since the early 2000s, Muslim students have had a prayer room at Vanier with 'a sink for ablutions as well as a separating curtain so women and men don't pray together.'
In 2013, there was some talk of converting it to a multi-faith room, but because Muslim students were considered to have an acquired right to the space, no changes have been made.
'How can a prayer room be considered an acquired right in a college that must respect Articles 2 and 3 of the Law on the Secularism of the State, which stipulates that secularism must be respected in fact and in appearance in all government institutions?' the investigators wonder.
It is worth noting that CEGEP Garneau and CEGEP Ste-Foy also have temporary or permanent prayer rooms, because colleges are not covered by all the dispositions of Bill 21, Quebec's secularism law.
Although the probe didn't spell out how the presence of such facilities at Vanier and Dawson contributed to the anguish over the war in Gaza, it definitely doesn't view them in a favourable light.
'Certain institutions have tried to take steps to promote living together, even if they are contending with a significant lack of space. But far from contributing to better coexistence, this only feeds the climate of radicalization, community withdrawal and mutual distrust within the CEGEP,' the investigation notes. 'Dawson and Vanier are themselves contending with a significant lack of space. … The allocation of a room to one religious group is considered a privilege that can be seen as proselytism and discriminatory towards other religious groups. It is also worth asking questions about the pertinence of prayer rooms in a secular society, especially in the current sociopolitical context.'
So is this about space? Is it about tensions on campus? Or is it more about Quebec's secular dogma?
Neutrality of the state is an important principle of a modern, Western democracy. Quebecers' aversion to religion is understandable given the long shadow the Catholic Church has cast over the province's history. But this Quebec government has taken secularism to a whole new level with Bill 21, the law forbidding civil servants in positions of authority from wearing religious garb on duty, trampling constitutional and minority rights in the process.
The CAQ has made no secret of its desire to go further, introducing Bill 94 to extend dress code provisions to public schools. It has appointed an expert committee to leave no stone unturned in uncovering the influence of religion in other public institutions, including CEGEPs, to pave the way for stricter laws. Putting Dawson and Vanier under the microscope over secularism certainly provides fresh grounds.
But it's not useful or helpful to cast strife over the Israel-Hamas war as a purely religious conflict.
Yes, Israel is the Jewish state and the Jewish community as a whole has been stigmatized, isolated and even physically attacked as antisemitism surges.
True, Palestinians are overwhelmingly Muslim and Islamophobia is also on the rise. But many of those protesting against Israel belong to neither of these faiths. Some Christians, atheists, and even Jews are also opposed to the war in Gaza.
This is a sociopolitical movement. The progressive left has been especially active in calling for a ceasefire, pushing for a Palestinian state and delegitimizing Israel.
Ignoring the multiple dimensions of these fault lines will not bridge growing divisions on Quebec campuses.