{"id":223814,"date":"2025-01-25T11:08:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T11:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/25\/quebecs-ban-on-religious-symbols-will-be-tested-at-the-supreme-court\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T11:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T11:08:07","slug":"quebecs-ban-on-religious-symbols-will-be-tested-at-the-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/25\/quebecs-ban-on-religious-symbols-will-be-tested-at-the-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec\u2019s Ban on Religious Symbols Will Be Tested at the Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/25\/multimedia\/25canadaletter-vgtw\/25canadaletter-vgtw-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Quebec\u2019s Ban on Religious Symbols Will Be Tested at the Supreme Court\" title=\"Quebec\u2019s Ban on Religious Symbols Will Be Tested at the Supreme Court\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A Quebec law that critics say unjustly targets Muslim, Jewish and Sikh people will be challenged at Canada\u2019s Supreme Court, reigniting a sweeping debate over the province\u2019s brand of secularism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Freedom of expression and religion are enshrined in Canada\u2019s constitution. But governments at all levels, including federal, can set aside certain rights in favor of their own policy objectives, through the rarely used \u201cnotwithstanding clause.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Quebec\u2019s 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 \u201cquiet revolution,\u201d in which the state moved toward secularization. Quebec enacted its ban on religious symbols in 2019 using the notwithstanding clause, with <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.montrealgazette.com\/news\/provincial-news\/article389347.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">support from residents<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe will fight to the end to defend our values \u200b\u200band who we are,\u201d Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/francoislegault\/status\/1882493377889042740\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said Thursday on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Critics say the ban on religious symbols is a reaction to an increase in Muslim immigrants. A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/cars.12180\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">study<\/a> published in the Canadian Review of Sociology in 2018 found a greater prevalence of Islamophobia in Quebec than in other Canadian provinces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There have been legal challenges by religious groups, school boards and individuals who have argued that the law violates their fundamental freedoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last year, three judges from Quebec\u2019s Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the law in a case involving the English Montreal School Board, which argued that the law also had the effect of promoting gender discrimination, predominantly against female teachers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It is rare for the Supreme Court to take on cases when a lower court of appeal has come to a unanimous decision, said Pearl Eliadis, a law professor at McGill University.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Supreme Court does not give reasons for taking on specific cases, so it\u2019s unclear which issues \u2014 the notwithstanding clause, gender discrimination, freedom of expression \u2014 the court will adjudicate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/commentary\/doc\/2016CanLIIDocs4607#!fragment\/zoupio-_Toc63089212\/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoAvbRABwEtsBaAfX2zgDYBmABgA4AnACYAjEICUAGmTZShCAEVEhXAE9oAcg2SIhMLgRKV6rTr0GQAZTykAQuoBKAUQAyTgGoBBAHIBhJ5KkYABG0KTs4uJAA\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Rulings<\/a> from the Supreme Court in the last two decades have underscored that Canada is fundamentally a secularist society. Canada\u2019s legal tradition likens the constitution to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/commentary\/doc\/2019CanLIIDocs4296#!fragment\/\/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a living tree<\/a>, Professor Eliadis said, able to evolve to meet society\u2019s changing needs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Professor Eliadis said she thought the case was about \u201cthe way in which secularism is being deployed to suppress the rights of religious minorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">[<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Published in 2020: <\/em><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/03\/07\/world\/canada\/quebec-religious-symbols-ban.html\" title=\"\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">A Quebec Ban on Religious Symbols Upends Lives<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">]<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Harini Sivalingam, a director at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, one of the organizations that challenged the law in court, said at a news conference on Thursday that the law disproportionately affected minority populations, including Muslim, Sikh and Jewish communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Arif Virani, the federal justice minister, told reporters at Parliament Hill on Thursday that the government planned to argue its viewpoint because the issue was of national importance. The Liberal Party\u2019s uncertain future in leadership, however, could hamper that effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In response to Mr. Virani\u2019s comments, Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec\u2019s justice minister, said in a statement that the province would \u201cfight to the end\u201d to protect its secular values, adding that the federal government was showing a lack of respect for Quebec\u2019s autonomy by weighing in on the case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Professor Eliadis said that while one of the main tenets of Quebec\u2019s secularism was the idea that the state should be a neutral actor, she thought the law had imposed the government\u2019s viewpoint of what nonreligion ought to look like in the public service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cNow the state is no longer really neutral,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Vjosa Isai is a reporter and researcher for The New York Times in Toronto.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">How are we doing?<\/strong><br \/>We\u2019re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/25\/world\/canada\/mailto:nytcanada@nytimes.com?%20subject=Canada%20Letter%20Newsletter%20Feedback\" title=\"\">nytcanada@nytimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Like this email?<\/strong><br \/>Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/newsletters\/canada-letter?smid=nytemail&amp;smvar=canadaletter&amp;te=1&amp;nl=canada-today&amp;emc=edit_cnda_20190622\" title=\"\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/25\/world\/canada\/quebec-religious-symbols-bill-21.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Quebec law that critics say unjustly targets Muslim, Jewish and Sikh people will be challenged at Canada\u2019s Supreme Court, reigniting a sweeping debate over the province\u2019s brand of secularism. 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/25\/multimedia\/25canadaletter-vgtw\/25canadaletter-vgtw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[230,740,1625,166301,30138,175957,175958,163680,43086,1624,1742,34117],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223814"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223816,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223814\/revisions\/223816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}