Quebec introduces bill banning religious symbols

TRENTON, Canada

A bill introduced Thursday that bans many Quebec public servants from wearing religious symbols will render Muslims and another religious minorities “second class citizens,” says the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).

Brought in by the Coalition Avenir de Quebec (CAQ) government, Bill 21 affects public servants in positions of authority, including teachers, school administrators, Crown lawyers, police officers and prison guards.

Those symbols include the hijab, turban and yarmulke.

The government said the bill is meant to be secular but the NCCM says the reality is that the CAQ is targeting Muslims.

“Under the guise of secularism, this legislation is effectively a prohibition on wearing the hijab in the Quebec public service, given the overwhelming number of people impacted will be Muslim women,” NCCM Executive Director Ihsaan Gardee said in a statement.

Bill 21 has other critics, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“It’s unthinkable to me that in a free society we would legitimize discrimination against citizens based on their religion,” he said Thursday.

As well, the English Montreal School Board said it will not enforce the law and would instead allow teachers to wear religious symbols at work.

This is the fourth attempt by successive Quebec governments to try to get the bill into law.

The previous Liberal government introduced a religious neutrality bill that is still tied up due to court challenges.

But Quebec Premier Francois Legault has included a “notwithstanding” clause in Bill 21 that shields the legislation from legal challenges under the Canadian Charter of Rights.

“The CAQ government’s use of the notwithstanding clause is a tacit admission that this bill would not pass constitutional muster,” Gardee said. “The NCCM’s legal team is undertaking a careful review of the bill to determine what options exist to challenge this discriminatory legislation.”

The bill now goes to a legislative committee for review. It will then be re-introduced and the government wants the bill passed into law by mid-June.