Liberal MNA calls for full ban on humiliating 'weigh-ins' at CEGEP; minister refuses
A Liberal MNA is calling for the Quebec government to ban the practice of weighing students in CEGEP, saying students have reported recent experiences that are humiliating and can harm those with an eating disorder.
“For us it’s unacceptable,” said Isabelle Melancon, the MNA for Verdun, and the opposition's critic on the status of women file.
“That’s why we accepted to look at it in the past, and we acted, and there’s a part of it left to do and the CAQ refuses to do it,” Melancon said.
The practice of weighing children was banned in elementary and high schools in 2017 by then-education minister Sebastien Proulx, who served in the Liberal government, after a parliamentary commission examined the issue.
CEGEPS, however, were not subject to the ban because the petition that prompted the debate focused on younger children, Melancon said.
Still, the minister of higher education at the time, Helene David, sent all CEGEPS a letter that contained some guidelines on weighing students, without ruling out the practice completely.
SOME SCALES STILL IN USE
About five years later, it seems the message hasn’t gotten through to all college administrators.
In September of 2021, a 17-year-old student came forward with her story, which “shocked” Melancon when she read about it in the Journal de Montreal.
The student described a situation at the CEGEP de Vieux Montreal, "during a physical education class, where they were obligated to get weighed in front of the group,” Melancon said.
The public spectacle was “distressing” for the young woman, her mother told the news outlet, and she “even switched CEGEPs as a result,” Melancon said.
The MNA acknowledged that CEGEP students are probably not asked to step on a scale by their teachers often, as far as she can tell.
But she said that “even if it’s not frequent, we must act, because it involves the health of lots of young girls” as well as boys.
Tania Lemoine, the director of BACA eating disorders clinic in Montreal and a therapist, agrees and is “absolutely against the practice of weighing kids and young adults in schools," she said.
“There’s significant data that shows it’s not necessarily the only thing that will trigger an eating disorder, but it does increase anxiety, it does make people feel ashamed of their weight," she said.
“It really contributes to people wanting to avoid or restrict food intake when you know you’re going to be weighed,’ Lemoine said.
A NEW PETITION SPURS MORE ACTION
After learning that weigh-ins were still going on in Quebec, Melancon said she asked Danielle McCann, the current minister for higher education, to address it by issuing a clear directive forbidding the practice or by putting it into law. She said the minister declined.
A petition Melancon submitted to the National Assembly this month entitled "Ban on weigh-ins at CEGEP," signed by more than 1,000 people, also yielded no results.
CTV News contacted the minister’s office to ask if she favours a ban on weigh-ins at CEGEPs.
A written statement from McCann said she planned to send a second note to CEGEP directors reminding them of the guidelines
“Last October, the Ministry of Higher Education sent a directive to the general directors of colleges reminding them that no mention of weighing or calculating students' BMI is [to be ] made in the college physical education program and that it must always be optional and done in private," the statement said.
“I will send a reminder to the college system, which will specify again that this is a practice that can only take place at the request of the student,” the statement read.
Melancon said she finds that response inadequate since “we [the Liberal Party] already sent a note and clearly some either didn’t read it or didn’t do anything about it, because it happened again.”
A NO-WEIGH POLICY AT DAWSON COLLEGE
CTV News asked Dawson College to describe its policy on weighing students and when this would ever be deemed necessary, in order to get an idea about how some colleges approach this.
In an email, a spokesperson said unequivocally that “if anyone is weighing students, it is not with the College’s knowledge or consent.”
“For academic purposes, we do not under any circumstances weigh students,” Donna Varrica wrote.
The only time weight is an issue is when students engage in certain sports, she said.
“Some combat sports may classify students in weight categories, but no one is actually weighed," said Varrica.
"A visual assessment is made to make sure students don’t put themselves at risk by underestimating or overestimating their category."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.