Jean-François Roberge is a Canadian politician who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2014 election."François Legault indique qu'il restera à l'Assemblée nationale pour quatre ans". La Presse, April 8, 2014. He represents the electoral district of Chambly as a member of the Coalition Avenir Québec and is the former Education Minister. He was replaced by Bernard Drainville in October 2022.
He was also the party's candidate in Vachon in the 2012 election.
Prior to his election to the legislature, Roberge was an elementary school teacher, as well as a regular commentator on education issues for TVA's morning talk show Deux filles le matin. He published a young adult novel, Francis perdu dans les méandres, in 2010.
Political career Minister of Education (2018–2022) Under Roberge's term as Minister of Education, the government showed plans to replace the Ethics and religious culture, with a new curriculum which would shift the focus from religion toward culture and citizenship.
Also, as Minister Roberge saw, the CAQ government passed Bill 40, which saw the French and English school boards being replaced with School service centres. The abolishing of school boards is said to save the government more than $10 million. Their reason for this is to try to improve the quality of education in Quebec.
The English school boards of Quebec invoked Article 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, which is the official language minority education rights. They took legal action to get exempted from Bill 40.
Roberge was replaced by Bernard Drainville in October 2022.
Later career Roberge was later appointed as the Minister for Immigration, Minister for the French Language, and Minister of Secularism in the government of François Legault.
On December 6, 2022, Minister Roberge tabled a bill that would make the Oath of Allegiance to the King optional for members of the National Assembly (MNAs). That bill passed on December 9, 2022.
In August 2025, Roberge introduced a bill to ban prayer in public, citing "a proliferation of street prayer".
In September 2025, Roberge announced that the provincial government and municipal governments would be directed to stop using gender-inclusive suffixes, alternatives, and doublets in official communications.
On November 27, 2025, Roberge tabled Bill 9 that would strengthen secularism Bill 21. The bill passed on April 2, 2026. It bans the wearing of religious symbols for daycare workers and prayer spaces in public institutions.
Electoral record
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