QUEBEC CITY – The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) told a National Assembly committee the proposed Charter of Quebec Values contradicts the province’s Education Act, which stipulates that “the school must respect the freedom of conscience and of religion of the students, the parents and the school staff.”
EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini argued the charter goes against everything EMSB schools are teaching their students.
“What do we tell our students when they can come into a classroom wearing a particular religious symbol but their teacher cannot?” she asked. “Does that mean that person is wrong? It almost incites people to think it becomes something wrong to do.”
Mancini told Democratic Institutions Minister Bernard Drainville the EMSB will do everything in its powers to fight the proposed charter.
“I think we stand on good ground to go forward with every recourse possible in order to be able to not apply this law,” Mancini said.
A position Drainville quickly labelled as “civil disobedience.”
“I do not think it is very responsible on the part of a public institution such as the English Montreal School Board to say they’re not going to respect the law and they’re going to get in a process of civil disobedience,” Drainville told reporters.
Education Minister Marie Malavoy added: “I think it’s curious to see an institution who has money from the state saying they will be disobedient.”
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Meanwhile, the PQ was getting reinforcement from an unlikely source. Liberal-turned independent MNA Fatima Houda-Pepin tabled a bill to curb religious fundamentalism that would ban agents of the state from wearing conspicuous religious signs.
“We cannot really define the religious neutrality of the state if those who represent the state cannot be neutral themselves in the way they are dressed,” argued Houda-Pepin.
The PQ invited Houda-Pepin to take part in an upcoming caucus meeting to discuss ways to strengthen Bill 60.
“We’re not going to weaken it,” maintained Drainville. “If we can improve it with the ideas of Mrs. Houda-Pepin, we’re very open-minded.”
“Clearly, the Liberals are not interested in moving in that direction,” added the minister responsible for Montreal, Jean-François Lisée. “That’s one of the goals that we have and I’m looking forward to listening to her ideas.”
While Drainville and Lisée hinted there will be negotiation, the EMSB said it wants nothing to do with it, warning it will never compromise on basic values such as respect and the acceptance of others.
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