When Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry dispatched investigators to Dawson and Vanier colleges last December, her stated aim was to ensure the “physical and psychological well-being of students” was being respected on those campuses amid strife over the Israel-Hamas war.

Nearly seven months later, that probe found a “deteriorating” and “toxic climate” caused in part by militant student groups and politicized course content. But it also seems to have turned into a fishing expedition, dredging up all kinds of flotsam and jetsam that may well have caught the government’s eye, but strays from the original purpose.

The ministry report also blames prayer rooms and religious accommodations for contributing to “radicalization and proselytism” that “accentuate tensions” at the two English colleges, though it offers scant evidence and few examples to back these claims.

The recommendation that Quebec’s secularism laws be reinforced at CEGEPs is a red herring that will do little to ease the very real strains roiling academic institutions. It conflates political polarization with religious friction. And it conveniently provides new fodder for the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s desire to expand secularism legislation, further restricting minority rights.

There is no doubt that the animosity on Quebec college and university campuses is a serious matter that deserves to be addressed.

Since the terror group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the relentless bombardment of Gaza, many academic institutions have struggled to uphold the rights to protest and of free expression while ensuring students and staff of all backgrounds feel secure.

Whether it’s here in Montreal, where pro-Palestinian protesters took over the front lawn of McGill University for much of last summer, or demonstrations on campuses across North America, there are no easy answers for keeping the peace.

The ministry report acknowledges these challenges.

© Montreal Gazette