By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry announced Tuesday morning an investigation into whether Vanier and Dawson CEGEPs are taking all available measures to protect students from anti-Israel-related intimidation.

“The climate on some campuses seems to have deteriorated in recent months,” Déry posted on social media.”Several reports have been received by the Ministry of Higher Education to the effect that students are feeling uneasy and even insecure.”

The Minister added that while she knows the Israel-Hamas war “generates its share of emotions, institutions have an obligation to take all necessary measures to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all students.

“Considering the accumulation of denunciations, I officially mandated the ministry to investigate the governance mechanisms in place in the Dawson and Vanier CEGEPs to see if they have taken all the measures at their disposal to guarantee the physical and psychological safety of students.”

Déry emphasized that “the right of students to develop in a healthy and safe environment is non-negotiable.”

Dawson had closed its doors on the day of a recent student strike, during which violence broke out at Concordia University and pro-Israel counter-protesters were given the Nazi salute and told a “final solution is coming.” The CEGEP cited safety considerations for its decision.

Federation CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, in a joint statement, said they were pleased with the announcement.

“CIJA and Federation CJA have been clear that strong measures are needed to protect Jewish and non-Jewish students from extremists who seek to impose their hateful ideologies through intimidation, harassment and violence. We are pleased with this decision and will continue to engage directly with the Ministry and institutions throughout the process.” n