Quebec to table new bill to strengthen secularism in schools

The Quebec government will table new legislation today to strengthen secularism in the province's schools.

Education Minister Bernard Drainville says that religious accommodations have no place in Quebec schools, and that science, sex education and gender equality must be taught properly.

The government is planning to update Quebec's Education Act following a controversy over reports of religious practices at several of the province's public schools.

Drainville says he was "stunned" to learn about the situation at Bedford elementary school in Montreal, after a government report last fall documented a toxic climate created by a group of teachers.

The government has since investigated more than a dozen other schools over allegations they were violating Quebec's secularism rules.

Drainville has promised new legislation for months, and has suggested he could extend Quebec's religious symbols ban to school staff.