(LifeSiteNews) – The government of Quebec has tabled a new bill which, if passed, would ban public prayer and funding for religious schools, and more severely oppose public displays of religious symbols.
Quebec’s government now has its very own Secularism Minister, Jean-François Roberge. He introduced Bill 9, ‘An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Quebec,’ in the province’s National Assembly on Thursday, November 27. Critics have warned that it is an attack on people’s religious rights. Nevertheless, Quebec says it will use the notwithstanding clause to ensure that the legislation remains law, thwarting any legal challenges made against it.
Six years ago, Quebec passed a law that banned teachers, judges, police officers, and other officials from wearing religious symbols. However, Roberge has told reporters that the new legislation is needed because people have “advanced.”
“Quebecers have advanced since 2019, which means it is necessary to strengthen our model of secularism,” he said, adding that the new law would be “ambitious, but moderate.”
This August, as reported by LifeSiteNews, Quebec announced that it was looking to ban prayer in public places; Muslim groups had begun praying in Quebec streets and parks.
Earlier this year, Quebec expanded its so-called religious symbols ban to include all school staff, meaning no one who works at a school would be allowed to wear crucifixes or crosses of any kind.
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This new law would also ban the wearing of hijabs and turbans for those working in schools, daycares, and universities. It could prevent teachers from wearing crucifix jewellery even in a Catholic school and ban any religious symbol from appearing in any communications from public institutions. It would also ban prayer rooms in public institutions.
Quebec Premier François Legault fully backs the new law, saying earlier this month there is a threat in his province from “radical Islamists.”
Earlier this year, as reported by LifeSiteNews, Montreal’s Catholic Archbishop Christian Lépine condemned Quebec’s proposed prayer ban and said it was like banning thought.
“Prayer, in its simplest form, is an inner impulse,” he wrote. “It is a thought turned toward God who is goodness, a presence in the world, a way of seeking peace. However, some recent proposals to ban public prayer raise serious concerns about respect for fundamental freedoms in a democratic society.”
