Dawson College

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Last Friday the Quebec government released its report following an investigation into tensions among Jewish and Muslim students in CEGEPs, specifically Dawson College and Vanier College, in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The report says that among the problems causing tensions are prayer rooms and other “accommodations” that have no place in public institutions, according to Bill 21, the province’s laicity law. Dawson, the report points out, has had a prayer room for about 15 years, “used exclusively by Muslim students.” Last November Jewish students had asked that they, too, have access to a prayer room. The report says that a room is currently being renovated “to respect Jewish religious obligations.”

Vanier also has a room for Muslim prayer, where a sink was installed for ablutions, and a curtain to separate men and women, which Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry says is not considered normal in Quebec’s public institutions.

“Some institutions have tried to find ways to promote coexistence,” the report says. But “this only fuels a climate of radicalization, community withdrawal, and mutual mistrust within the CEGEP.” The report singles out “various clubs, including the Muslim Students Association (Dawson and Vanier) and the Ardouna Palestinian Association (Vanier).”

The report also notes the sale and use on campus of keffiyehs is solidarity with the Palestinian cause, some course content, articles published in the student newspaper The Plant, and references to genocide in Gaza – which the report puts in quotation marks – as contributing to the tensions on campus.

Déry says the CEGEPs have not properly dealt with the situation, and suggests that further action on the part of the government could become necessary.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a statement that it will be going through the report in detail, but at first glance, it says, the report “confirms the fears we’ve been expressing over the past 20 months of a toxic climate of radicalization and destruction of living together as a result, among other things, of the hateful behaviour of student associations overstepping their constitutions and as a result of politically oriented courses going beyond departmental responsibilities.”

The report says “the institutions have neither the authority nor the leverage to intervene in problematic situations involving student associations or clubs and, where appropriate, to sanction or even ban them.” Hence, the recommendation in the report is that the government do more, perhaps reviewing laws governing academic freedom and those student clubs and associations.

CIJA notes that the investigation was “triggered following reports of multiple antisemitic and hateful behaviours,” and calls on the government to take swift action. “School authorities and the government have a duty to ensure that hatred and antisemitism are kept off campus. It’s in the best interests of young people and all Quebecers.”

Late Friday afternoon Dawson and Vanier released a joint statement. They expressed surprise that the report had been shared with the media before it had been sent to the institutions. But they were pleased that “it confirms that both our institutions identify and address problems in a timely and fair manner and that we offer various services to prevent, detect, and correct problematic situations when they arise.” The statement highlights the two schools’ “commitment to provide a safe environment where differences can be expressed freely, in a spirit of inclusion and dialogue.”

Two of the report’s four recommendations fall under the schools’ purview. Hence, “Dawson College will review the recommendation that a faculty member be included on the editorial board of The Plant newspaper. This practice had been previously discontinued at the request of the student association at the time.” And Vanier says it “welcomes the recommendation concerning procedures for selecting speakers and themes for events and is committed to its implementation.” n