Culture and Citizenship in Québec: 6 Keys to Understanding the Course

Like French, math, and physical education, Culture and Citizenship in Québec is compulsory for all students from Grade 1 to Secondary V, with the exception of Secondary III.

It replaces Ethics and Religious Culture, which was compulsory from 2008 to 2024.

The program has three objectives:

• Prepare students to exercise citizenship in Quebec: Give them tools to understand our society and societal issues and encourage them to reflect on the rights, obligations, and responsibilities they have with regard to community life, respect, and democracy.
• Aim for recognition of oneself and of others: Help students understand that every individual, regardless of their characteristics or worldview, is equal to others in rights and dignity and deserves respect.
• Pursue the common good: Teach students the importance of working together for the good of all by seeking solutions that benefit society while obeying the principles of democracy.

In concrete terms, throughout elementary and high school, the CCQ program will teach your child to do the following:

• Develop their critical thinking skills
• Engage in open, respectful dialogue
• Observe and understand the world around them
• Build emotional intelligence by learning to recognize different emotions and how they manifest

The program explores increasingly complex topics with each grade level. For example, throughout elementary school, your child will gradually expand the focus of their observations and analysis from their immediate environment (Cycle 1), to their neighborhood and community (Cycle 2), to Quebec society as a whole (Cycle 3).

The elementary program covers five general themes:

• Self-awareness and construction of identity
• Relationships between people
• Search for meaning
• Relationships between humans and the environment
• Media and digital life

In high school, the themes differ by grade. However, each grade has one theme that focuses on the individual and relationships, and one that focuses on collective issues within society. A detailed breakdown of all the themes can be found here.

All themes in the CCQ program are examined from the perspective of two complementary disciplines: sociology and ethics.

Sociology is about understanding what is happening in society by observing and analyzing individuals and social groups.

Specifically, your child will learn the following skills:

• How to analyze different cultural realities
• How to gather information and assess its relevance
• How to ask methodological questions

Ethics is concerned with determining the right thing to do in specific situations or what would be best for our society. In this program, ethics is approached via dialogue and critical thinking.

The goal of this course is not to lecture your child or tell them what to think. Rather, it is intended to give your child the tools to observe, analyze, and reflect on various situations so they can learn to make their own choices and develop critical thinking skills.

The teacher’s role is to ensure that the classroom environment remains non-judgmental, conducive to dialogue, compassionate, and respectful, even when students disagree. Teachers must refrain from voicing their personal opinion on a given subject and help keep discussions calm and nuanced.

This is an important point to underline: in the CCQ program, students are not evaluated on their identity, their emotions, or any aspects of their private lives.

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• Proficiency in knowledge related to cultural realities (elementary and high school)
• Proficiency in knowledge related to ethical questions (high school)
• Quality of the procedure (elementary and high school)
• Understanding of cultural realities (elementary and high school)
• Development of a point of view (high school)

Although sexuality education has already been compulsory in schools for several years, it has been officially integrated into the CCQ program. In other words, the program is now the primary means by which sexuality education is taught in schools, with the possibility for teachers to bring in external experts to enhance students’ learning. Sexuality education remains a shared responsibility among all school staff, as well as parents.

CCQ approaches content related to sexuality in a way that allows for personal reflection along with a more holistic and critical vision of sexuality in society. Sexuality education concepts are integrated in a cross-curricular manner via the themes of the program. Note that students are not required to share personal, intimate aspects of their experience with sexuality.