Quebec to replace ethics and religious culture class with program emphasizing Quebec values, critical thinking

Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge has unveiled the new curriculum that will replace the province's current ethics and religious culture program. 

The new program, called Quebec Citizenship and Culture, represents a "major transformation" and will include a focus on critical thinking, the minister said. The current program, which is known as ERC and is compulsory for students, has been in place since 2008.

Roberge said that the program was redesigned and modernized to address problems facing young people today.

"Quebec society has changed and there are new challenges in front of us," he said.

The program will include a section on sex education, including consent and sexual exploitation, along with media literacy, which "will lead them to flush out fake news and develop a more responsible use of social media."

The new curriculum is set to be taught in some schools next year as part of a pilot project and it will be in elementary and high schools across Quebec as of 2023. 

In the section about culture, students will be taught about the foundations of Quebec society, "its evolution, its ambassadors, as well as its key works," the province said in a statement released in French on Sunday.

"This will allow students to grasp the culture in which they operate and understand that each society is influenced by a different cultural context and that is what makes a culture distinct," the statement went on.

"It is therefore the duty of each nation to protect and promote its culture, heritage and particularities."

The program will also include a section intended to educate students on the "realities" of Indigenous communities in Quebec.

In the statement, Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière is quoted as saying that the curriculum was developed in consultation with representatives from First Nations and Inuit communities.

"Partners from these communities will continue to be involved so that young people can be sensitized to the realities of Indigenous people today. I am hopeful that this concrete action will help bring our nations closer together," said Lafrenière.

In the citizenship section, the program will teach "the fundamental principles of civic life, such as respect for self and others, freedom of expression and conscience, equality between all and secularism," according to the statement.

"These values ​​are at the heart of the struggles that are dear to us, such as the fight against sexism, racism and homophobia."