Prayer rooms causing tensions in Quebec colleges, new government report says

By Canadian Press on June 27, 2025.

MONTREAL — A new report from the Quebec government says prayer rooms are fuelling a climate of radicalization and mistrust in the province’s junior colleges.

The report questions the relevance of prayer rooms in public colleges and says they make it harder for students to get along.

The document is the result of an investigation of two English-language junior colleges in Montreal, launched last November following complaints that the conflict in the Middle East had created an unsafe climate on campus.

Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry says the report highlights a series of failings and says the government could take further action.

The report finds that some student groups are causing tensions between students, and that the colleges lack the power to intervene.

It also recommends that the government adopt a new law to regulate academic freedom in the college system.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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