Who in their right mind subjects a 15-year-old to a strip search at school in an effort to find some hidden pot? Have people really taken leave of their senses? These are the people we entrust with educating our young people?

Our Education Minister said this week that he thinks strip-searching children is fine as long as it is carried out in a respectful manner. What does “respectful” mean? Like using please and thank you? Or making sure the screening sheet is large enough to preserve what’s left of a teenagers dignity?

Once again, gaffe-prone minister Yves Bolduc has proven that he doesn’t belong in cabinet. He either speaks before thinking, or just doesn’t think.

Strip-searching is heavy-handed and quite likely a violation of civil rights.

Why weren’t the parents called? If this was a police matter, then call the police. Even the cops would need a search warrant. School officials seemed to think suspicion was enough.

The premier says he doesn’t agree with the searches, so he should ban them right away. Right after he sacks the minister, in a respectful fashion of course.

Charter of Values inspectors

In the soap opera which is Quebec’s growing secularism hysteria, CAQ leader Francois Legault wants to be Quebec’s Charter CEO. He says we need values inspectors. Seriously, he thinks a troop of Quebec bureaucrats should go around sniffing around mosques, and who knows what else, with the aim of finding anything suspicious. Can you just picture it?

Our language cops are already ridiculed around the world. Imagine values inspectors.

I’m still not sure what Quebec values are exactly. Are there regional differences? Are there West Island values or Laval values?

Legault is desperate to win the values vote, to out-PQ the PQ on the issue. And that desperation is showing.

Niqab debate

On the other hand, the federal government is right in deciding to appeal a court decision that would allow a woman to cover her face while taking the oath of citizenship.

The prime minister says it is offensive for a woman to hide their identity when they are joining the Canadian family. Most reasonable Canadians I imagine would agree that a niqab does not have a place in the solemn ceremony of becoming a citizen.

Most Canadians except Justin Trudeau, who apparently sees nothing wrong with it.

Becoming a Canadian citizen is certainly a moving experience.

At Riverdale High School this week, more than 30 immigrants took the final step and became part of the family.

Even on one of the most frigid days of the year, in the midst of the coldest February in 20 years, these people said yes to our northern home.

So I guess most of us who complain about the never-ending cold should just pause for a minute and realize how lucky we really are.

But the first person to complain about a day being too hot this summer is getting punched. Well, at least metaphorically speaking.