School To Rehire Murderer

An arbitrator ordered the largest school district in Montreal, Quebec to rehire a teacher after he was fired for not being 100% forthcoming on his past.  In 1990, Jean-Alix Miguel was convicted of manslaughter after beating his wife to death.  In 1998, he got a job with the Montreal School Commission as an electrician teacher at a trade school.

On his application form, Miguel said he had never been convicted of a crime.  The murder conviction was discovered after Miguel filed for worker’s compensation. The arbitrator ruled that Miguel was not a danger to his students and colleagues because of his good teaching record, and his prior murder rap was not related to his work.

Ginette L’Heureux, a spokesperson for the Quebec Human Rights Commission, said Miguel has the right to earn a living.  “If you’re a convicted pedophile, you can’t get a job in a daycare. If you’re an arsonist, you can’t get a job as a fireman,” Ms. L’Heureux said. “But if the crime is not related to the job, you can’t be discriminated against.”