Montral-Nord high school teacher suspended after students allege long history of racist comments

Former students at Henri-Bourassa high schoolare hoping the suspension of a teacher alleged to have made racist remarks leads to change and sparks a broader conversation about inclusivity in the classroom.

Vincent Ouellette wassuspended after a video surfaced last week showing him repeatedly using the N-word during an online class.

Since then, several other students and former students atHenri-Bourassahave come forward with complaints aboutOuellette's behaviour, including allegations that he regularly made Islamophobic comments andwould jokingly do Nazi salutes.

The Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'lesaidan investigation into the allegations is underway.

"Inclusion, equity and caring are at the heart of our educational mission and no form of discrimination canbe tolerated in our establishments,"Antoine El-Khoury, director of the service centre, said in a statement.

El-Khoury said he wants to assure current students and graduates and the community ofMontral-Nordthat the matter is being taken seriously.

The service centre as well asOuellette's union have said hewouldn't comment.

In the online class, Ouellette, a historyteacher, usedthe N-word in both French and English. Heappearedto bediscussing the term's usage in historyand the recentcontroversy at the University of Ottawa.

Students and former students have since created a Facebook page and a video detailing further allegations against Ouellette dating back more than a decade.

In the video, posted toYouTube by Hoodstock, a community group based in Montral-Nord, two students relayed how he had asked his students to raise their hand if they were"Qubcois."

When nearly everyoneraised their hand, he said, no, "Qubcoisdesouche" referring to those whose ancestry is exclusively French-Canadian.

Henri-Bourassa High School, located in one of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods,is home to roughly 2,300 students.

Hiba Jabouirik, who appeared in the YouTube video, told CBC News she was subjected to Islamophobic comments by the teacher.

Jabouirik said she felt compelled to speak out to encourage a broader discussion around systemic racism.

"We want change, and in order to change we need a dialogue," said Jabouirik, who graduated in 2016.

Gio Olmos, who graduated in 2012, said being in classwith the teacher "was a dehumanizing experience."

Olmos, too, is hoping to spark a larger conversation and wants the province to take notice.

"We believe that the learning environment for BIPOC students in the province is not safe enough for them to thrive and go on to be healthy adults that fulfil their dreams," Olmossaid.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.