In Ontario, 28 teachers had their certificates revoked in 2020 alone, 25 of them for sexual abuse. In Quebec, it took five years to revoke so many patents. Would a professional order of teachers make the difference?
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
In 2016, in a classroom in Ontario, a teacher told his students that he “slept with a girl in every university in Ontario because that was his goal”.
The following year, he called parts of a student’s body “sexy” and made other sexual comments about her in front of the whole class.
Nicholas Paul Demopoulos is found guilty of professional misconduct in 2021. His teaching certificate is suspended for four months, he receives a reprimand and he must take, at his own expense, a course on “respecting limits”.
This decision, like hundreds of others, is public. The Ontario College of Teachers is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and its very existence reveals what qualifications a teacher has, who have been censured by their college, or who have lost their license to teach.
Everything is available on the Order’s website: an alphabetical search allows you to find a member in a few minutes.
The Disciplinary Tribunal’s hearings are public, as are its decisions. The College’s 231,000 members receive these summaries through their monthly electronic newsletter.
“This is the most popular section. It educates the members: behaviors are not always black and white. It allows them to see where the line is, what to watch out for, what not to do,” said Gabrielle Barkany, spokesperson for the Order.
No order in Quebec
In Quebec, such an order does not exist. The Ministry of Education receives complaints and revokes teaching licenses. In five years, 26 patents have been revoked due to “a judicial record”, two were revoked following a complaint.
All of these dismissals – except six – were for “behavior of a sexual nature”, says the Ministry of Education
Other teachers were barred from the profession for criminal negligence, drug offences, assault, negligence and incompetence, as well as poor judgment and poor professional ethics.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Education
In the past year, the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, himself announced on social networks that he was revoking the certificates of two teachers whose cases had been publicized.
They are Simon Lamarre, a teacher convicted of voyeurism, and Dominic Blanchette, accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.
“Not in the priorities” of the CAQ
During the 2012 election campaign, François Legault had promised the creation of a professional order of teachers if the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) was elected. This promise was not retained in the 2018 election and the cabinet of Jean-François Roberge, it is indicated that the creation of such an order “is not among the priorities”.
The Federation of Education Unions (FSE) does not support the idea either. Its president, Josée Scalabrini, believes that there is everything needed in the Education Act to protect the public. The government must raise awareness of these remedies, she adds, however.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Josée Scalabrini, President of the Federation of Education Unions
Often, when there are complaints filed in Ontario against a teacher, whether he is guilty or not, even before there is a process, the name ends up in the public square and it is smeared in advance.
Josée Scalabrini, President of the Federation of Education Unions
At the Ontario College of Teachers, we talk more about “transparency”.
Anyone can file a complaint against a teacher: a colleague, a parent, a student, the Registrar of the College, the Department of Education.
“Complaints against teachers are rare: not even 1% compared to the number of members we have,” explains the spokesperson for the Order, Gabrielle Barkany.
Of the 1,500 complaints received each year, approximately half are unrelated to professional misconduct. If a parent, for example, criticizes a teacher for not having organized a Halloween party for his students, he will be directed to a local authority, such as the school administration.
“I’m not saying that celebrating Halloween isn’t important, but we are dealing with serious issues related to the law,” laughs Gabrielle Barkany.
Jean Bernatchez, professor of educational sciences at the University of Quebec at Rimouski and specialist in school management and governance, observes that the idea of a professional order is slowly gaining ground in Quebec.
“About 15 years ago, people were really allergic to it, but more and more people seem to buy into it,” he says.
Saint-Laurent school, “a drama”, says Roberge
The case of Saint-Laurent secondary school marked the world of education this year: three basketball coaches were charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation and incitement to sexual contact with female players. Gestures that would have taken place for many years.
“It was not anecdotal. It was the symptom of a malaise or an illness,” said the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, in an interview.
Former players, parents and school staff have testified that they have tried to speak out, but have come up against a culture of silence at school.
The reform of the Student Ombudsman means that such a situation “could not continue,” said the minister today.
“Staff can now make a report to the Student Ombudsman and are protected against any measure of reprisal. People who would retaliate [à la personne qui signale] expose themselves to criminal penalties,” says Jean-François Roberge.
“It’s a culture change. We will see it in the coming years, ”assures Mr. Roberge. The new version of the Student Ombudsman should be implemented in September 2023.
Learn more
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- 13
- Number of complaints received against teachers from 2018 to 2022
Source: Ministry of Education
- 113,345
- Number of teachers in Quebec in 2020-2021
Source: Ministry of Education