Quebec’s Ban on Religious Symbols Will Be Tested at the Supreme Court
Canada|Quebec’s Ban on Religious Symbols Will Be Tested at the Supreme Court
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/world/canada/quebec-religious-symbols-bill-21.html
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A Quebec law that critics say unjustly targets Muslim, Jewish and Sikh people will be challenged at Canada’s Supreme Court, reigniting a sweeping debate over the province’s brand of secularism.
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The law, known in Quebec as Bill 21, bars civil servants like teachers, prosecutors and police officers from wearing, while at work, the garments or accessories associated with their faith, such as skullcaps, turbans, head scarves and crosses.
Freedom of expression and religion are enshrined in Canada’s constitution. But governments at all levels, including federal, can set aside certain rights in favor of their own policy objectives, through the rarely used “notwithstanding clause.” The clause was adopted in 1981 as something of an override button after provincial leaders expressed concern that they would have to cede authority to the courts to interpret some rights.
Quebec’s secular policies are stricter than those of other Canadian provinces, where for many years the Roman Catholic Church exerted an influence over education, health care and public welfare. A Liberal government won in Quebec in 1960 with a promise to reflect the changing needs of Quebec society. That ushered in a period of transformation remembered as the “quiet revolution,” in which the state moved toward secularization. Quebec enacted its ban on religious symbols in 2019 using the notwithstanding clause, with support from residents.
“We will fight to the end to defend our values and who we are,” Premier François Legault said Thursday on X.