Quebec committee says government should stop funding private religious schools

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 Tuesday 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.

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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.