The Couillard government announced new anti-radicalization measures on Friday, some of which focus on a Montreal-area CEGEP that has seen several of its students leave the country to join jihadist groups.
Central to the new policy is more training for police officers and the hiring of more outreach workers.
The announcement came at a press conference given by Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux, Higher Education Minister Helene David and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.
Coiteux said training will be given to police officers that is specific to radicalization, though few details as to what that training will look like were given.
A pilot project that will see four or five outreach workers assigned to Maisonneuve College is another part of the new measures. In April, 2015, two students at the CEGEP were arrested on terrorism-related charges and five other students have also left to join jihadist groups in the Middle East.
“They are really involved on the floor with the students, with the staff, with the teachers,” said David. “They are psychologists who specialize in psycho-education and social workers.”
Earlier this week, Coderre announced a new anti-hate crimes police unit, which will be working with the city’s anti-radicalization centre.
That centre has received 762 calls in the past year, resulting in 14 police investigations.
