Petition urges to make the study of genocide compulsory in Quebec high schools

Petition launched on the official website of Quebec’s National Assembly urges to make the study of genocide compulsory in Quebec high schools.

The text of the petition reads:

Considering that racial and cultural intolerance and discrimination are the preconditions associated with the beginnings of genocide, defined as the systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic or cultural group;

Considering that  education is the key to recognizing and preventing discrimination and acts of hate amongst our youth, and that knowledge of genocides is essential to preventing such acts in the future;

Considering that  significant numbers of Quebec students have no knowledge of genocides, past or present, including the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, Rwandan genocide, and the cultural genocide of our First Nations;

Considering that the study of genocide is not currently a mandatory part of the high school curriculum in Quebec, and that the Foundation for the Compulsory Study of Genocide in Schools is able to provide such a course to be implemented in the schools;

We, the undersigned, ask that the National Assembly and the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Research act to make the study of genocide compulsory in all Quebec high schools as a means to creating a tolerant and peaceful society which is accepting of all cultures and religions.