Quebec groups speak out against bill protecting secularism law
Global News
Quebec's minister responsible for secularism has tabled a bill that would extend the use of the notwithstanding clause to protect the secularism law from some court challenges.
Nearly five years since the Quebec government implemented its secularism law, known as Bill 21, some of the province’s community groups say the legislation continues to have an impact on minority communities.
The law bans certain public workers in positions of authority — including teachers, judges and police officers — from wearing religious symbols at work.
On Thursday, Quebec’s minister responsible for secularism, Jean-François Roberge, tabled Bill 52 — a bill that would extend the use of the notwithstanding clause for five more years, to protect the secularism law from court challenges over Charter violations.
Otherwise, the use of the notwithstanding clause would expire in June.
“We’ve seen, with Bill 21, just how easy it is to take away people’s rights,” said Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
Defending the government’s decision to protect the secularism law on Thursday, both Roberge and Premier François Legault called it important for maintaining “social peace.”
But Brown says the law has done anything but that.
“The minister Roberge and the premier probably don’t have a lot of friends that live in minority communities,” Brown said in an interview.