Winie Coulanges

Managing Editor

Photo via La Presse

In October 2024, 11 teachers had their teaching licence suspended after allegedly fostering a toxic environment at Bedford Elementary School. They were accused of psychologically as well as physically abusing students, denying the existence of autism and refusing to teach sex education and science according to CTV News. According to the report done by the ministry of education, it seems that a dominant clan of teachers of North African origin potentially influenced by a neighbourhood religious centre and community centre imposed their ideas and disregarded  rules. One incident reported by La Presse describes a student suddenly collapsing in class and a teacher praying over their body instead of seeking medical attention. Teachers part of this clan believed neurodevelopment disorders could be corrected using severe discipline to bring children “back on track”. These instances of misconduct were apparently known by the Centre de service scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) school board in 2016. So why did it take so long for any corrective measures to be put in place?

For one, the school cycled through the staff so often that during the 2017-2018 school year, 8 teachers left the school. Between 2016 and 2023,  frequent changes in the administrative staff were observed. Adults who opposed the dominant group faced isolation and we’re often scared of speaking up. Journal de Montreal interviewed a former principal of the school, Lyne Robichaud, who tried to get the school board to intervene but was unsuccessful as her staff was reluctant to name the perpetrators of the misconduct for fear of retaliation. An article by Le Devoir reveals that an evaluation of the workplace atmosphere by a psychologist didn’t do much despite the CSSDM receiving news of multiple irregularities. The official report states that a tentative plan was established in 2021 to address these concerns but was swiftly abandoned by the school administration in 2022.

In May 2023, Montreal radio station 98.5 FM were some of the first people to investigate concerns from parents and former staff. They published their findings which eventually triggered an official report of 90 pages by the ministry of education. This new report offers more insight into the climate at the school and it also reveals that many incidents were not properly documented. The CSSDM couldn’t account for several complaints filed against some of the problematic teachers thus making it difficult to know if any follow ups were made.

In a quest to find answers as to how this situation occurred and perhaps gain more political momentum, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Quebecois, affirmed his belief that the Bedford Scandal was a result of Bill 21 not being harsh enough : 

“The absence of a mix of students in Montreal’s schools and the fact many are not born in Quebec […]There is an anti-Bill 21 movement out there that is very aggressive, and this explains the fear everyone had of acting in this situation.”

With evidence that the school board was negligent in its duties to protect students, why have Quebec politicians focused on the identity of the wrongdoers?

Francois Legault, Prime Minister of Quebec, took a similar stance when he posted a statement on X characterising the scandal as an example of Islamist indoctrination in schools. The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) administration has taken a negative stance on immigration, insisting Quebec has too many migrants and wanting to reduce the number allowed into the province. Francois Legault and his colleagues frequently spew ideas that immigrants are harmful to Quebec society as they don’t speak the language and oppose the values of our society. He came under fire in 2022 when he said the following during his 2022 re-election campaign : 

“Quebecers are peaceful. They don’t like conflict and extremism, and violence. And we have to make sure to keep things the way they are now.” This statement characterises immigrants as violent and disturbing to Quebec society which is is quite offensive.

His minister of education, Bernard Drainville, took a more neutral stance when he was a guest on the Radio Canada show, Tout le monde en parle, to discuss the recent events. He said “It’s possible that there is a cultural or religious issue at play but the report doesn’t say that.” It’s important to note that the report done by the ministry describes the situation as being a conflict of ideology rather than of religion or culture since many teachers who opposed the dominant clan were also North African.

By scapegoating the North African teachers and staff at the Bedford school, the CAQ government has  chosen to reignite discourse around secularism and immigration instead of focusing on the effectiveness of its institutions. In a province that has been adamant on scaling back immigration and championing secularism to the detriment of others, we should be alert to how certain stories get spun.