O'Toole says Conservatives are consulting on the 'unfair' Bill 21

Although he still maintains it's a matter Quebecers will have to settle for themselves, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says his party is consulting on its position on the controversial and "unfair" Bill 21.

In an interview with CBC's The House airing Saturday, O'Toole said the Conservative caucus has discussed the law. He said he has tasked several people with reviewing the party's stance on the law and Conservatives are consulting outside groups as well.

The bill, passed by Quebec's National Assembly in June 2019, bans teachers and other government workers, including judges and police officers, from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs, kippas and turbans.

A teacher in Chelsea became a living symbol of the law's effect early this month when she was removed from her classroom for wearing a hijab.

"The case of the teacher in [Chelsea] reminded people that this law has real impacts on people. I think it's unfair," O'Toole told host Chris Hall.

The teacher's removal has sparked renewed criticism of the bill. In a separate interview with The House, Farida Mohamed, head of the Montreal chapter of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, said the law means some women "will not have equal opportunity for employment.

"They will not have equal opportunities for promotion. And this is coming from a province that holds women's rights and the equality of women as very high."

Both O'Toole and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have said that, while they personally oppose the law, they won't commit to intervening against it.

WATCH | Quebec premier reacts to the idea of federal intervention on Bill 21:

NDP Jagmeet Singh changed his own position recently, saying he would support federal intervention into a legal challenge of the law in Quebec.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has fiercely defended the law, saying some of the criticisms have amounted to "Quebec-bashing."

"What I've always said is I don't support this bill and would never do it federally. It is a Quebec decision ... This is for Quebecers and their provincial assembly," O'Toole said.

"What we're doing is trying to say, how can we have a respectful discussion about this? Because yes, this really, really upsets people."

O'Toole accused Trudeau of having "avoided this issue himself" and attempting to "play both sides of this."