Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Quebec committee says government should stop funding private religious schools

MONTREAL — An independent committee says the Quebec government should phase out public funding of religious private schools.
0255696d17d1bb5d4e6efdcf0cf72ead1d4c9bdcdc4371f12a6d6b3ebbf2179b
Quebec Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge responds to the Opposition during question period at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL — An independent committee says the Quebec government should phase out public funding of religious private schools.

The idea is one of 50 recommendations included in a report published this morning on strengthening secularism in the province.

The committee, led by two lawyers, says universities should be able to refuse to create prayer rooms for students.

It also recommends extending the province's religious symbols ban to daycare workers, and banning face coverings at schools and daycares.

The report also says municipalities should enact measures to regulate religious events, following Premier François Legault's stated desire to ban public prayer.

The committee was announced in March by Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge, who said the recommendations could lead to changes to Quebec's secularism law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2025.

The Canadian Press