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Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry says her office has received multiple complaints from students that they do not feel safe on campus.
Students gather outside Dawson College to protest the ongoing conflict in Gaza on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
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Quebec has launched an investigation into complaints from students at Dawson and Vanier colleges, citing alleged bullying and concerns about some teachers’ actions amid heightened tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war.
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Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry announced the probe Tuesday.
The move surprised Vanier and Dawson, both of which defended how they’re dealing with campus conflicts. The Dawson Teachers Union rejected any suggestion teachers are acting inappropriately.
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Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Déry said some students complain they are being “intimidated on campuses on a regular basis” and experiencing “a certain sense of insecurity in the institutions.”
Déry said she received a complaint about a math teacher who “invited his students to (watch) a documentary on the history of Palestine” instead of focusing on the curriculum.
Some teachers allegedly cancelled classes to encourage students to attend protests, she said.
Déry said her department will conduct an administrative inquiry to determine whether Dawson and Vanier are ensuring the “physical and psychological well-being of students.”
“We know the conflict in the Middle East stirs strong emotions, but institutions are obliged to take all necessary steps to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all students,” she said.
Dawson and Vanier, which have significant populations of Jewish and Muslim students, are facing challenges as the “two communities are having difficulty coexisting,” Déry told Radio-Canada.
However, Vanier said it was “surprised by (Déry’s) announcement, having not received any complaints internally that would warrant such an approach.”
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In a statement to The Gazette, the college said “fostering a respectful and welcoming environment is at the heart of the Vanier culture.” The administration said it swiftly addresses breaches of its code of conduct or policies.
Vanier said it will collaborate fully with the investigation “to ensure that our campus remains a welcoming environment for all members of our community.”
Dawson said it learned of the investigation from a social media post by Déry.
“To date, Dawson has not received any information about the government’s investigation,” the college said in a statement.
Dawson’s “priority is to fulfil its mission of education and to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning and working where all members of the Dawson community feel safe.”
“As a place of higher learning, Dawson must balance upholding the right to freedom of expression while ensuring that laws and policies are respected,” the statement said.
Dawson said it will collaborate with the investigation. “We are confident that we have acted appropriately throughout these challenging times.”
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Déry’s announcement comes nearly two weeks after pro-Palestinian student strikes were held at several CEGEPs and universities.
Dawson closed its campus on the eve of the strikes. The administration said tensions were high, and it was concerned about the “safety and well-being of all our students and employees.”
The Dawson Teachers Union said its members are “doing their work effectively and in line with ministerial and departmental requirements; any suggestion otherwise is false and inappropriate.”
The union defended academic freedom as “an essential component of quality learning and of promoting freedom of expression in a democratic society. Examples cited by Déry regarding certain teachers are inaccurate.”
The organization said it supports “the autonomy of the Dawson Student Union, which voted to strike on Nov. 21. The college subsequently opted to cancel all activities on that day. This measure is in line with their practice during every other student strike at Dawson in recent history.”
The union added: “The biggest threat to the learning environment is Minister Déry’s drastic budget cuts, which she is trying hard to distract from.”
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Pro-Palestinian activists have been more visible at English CEGEPs and universities, but strikes and other activities are also occurring at French institutions.
For example, on Tuesday evening, pro-Palestinian groups at CEGEP du Vieux Montréal are planning a “Palestinian 101” workshop about the “birth of a colonial project and the complicity of so-called Quebec.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Federation CJA welcomed Déry’s announcement.
The two Jewish organizations said some students are seeking to “impose their hateful ideologies through intimidation, harassment and violence.” They said the “relentless attacks on our shared values occurring in our educational institutions must stop now.”
The Quebec-based group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said pro-Palestinian student protests have generally been peaceful, “yet they are often framed negatively, particularly by those seeking to discredit the movement.”
Hamas, which governs Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. Hundreds of others were taken captive. The Canadian government describes Hamas as a “radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization.”
The death toll in Gaza from the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, more than half of them women and children, The Associated Press has reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
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