Muslims, Sikhs, Jews and yes, Catholic and Protestant Christians are left reeling in shock at the brutally restrictive provisions of Bill 9, which joins and strengthens two other pro-secularism laws passed in Quebec in recent years.
Unless defeated when the government reconvenes in February, the bill would impose severe limits on the allowable public practice of various faiths, including banning the wearing of religious garb like hijabs, yarmulkes or turbans by hired daycare and private school workers.
“To see people praying in the street, in public parks, this is not something we want in Quebec.”
The proposed legislation would further prevent daycares, hospitals and other public institutions from offering meals prepared to meet religious dietary laws—such as kosher or halal—unless they also provide alternative meals for non-believers.
Any private schools that offer religious content would see their public subsidies halted within three years unless they buckle to the government’s anti-religious requirements. Further, no colleges or universities may provide prayer rooms for students, and existing prayer rooms would have to be dismantled by September of next year.
A strong hint of the bill’s main intent appears in a provision that “prohibits the use of public roads and public parks for the purposes of collective religious practices without the authorization of the municipality.”
Public prayer without a specific permit, for example, would be banned.
So if you and your family are strolling through the park on a particularly beautiful day, and you’re moved to offer up a prayer thanking God for providing such loveliness, are you all going to be fined or jailed?
Muslims from the group Montreal4Palestine have recently held weekly demonstrations in front of Quebec’s Notre-Dame Basilica, including the laying out of mats for afternoon prayer.
“To see people praying in the street, in public parks, this is not something we want in Quebec,” said Quebec Premier François Legault. “You should pray in a place that is for praying.”
“It’s shocking to see people blocking traffic, taking possession of the public space without a permit, without warning, and then turning our streets, our parks, our public squares into places of worship,” Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge, who introduced Bill 9, said.
Roberge considers the prayer rallies “a provocation.”
Canadian Jewish News journalist Joel Ceausu explained the climate that fostered Bill 9, including “reports of teachers praying in classrooms, of students being told that certain sports were not for girls, of the mandatory sex-ed curriculum in Quebec not being taught in some classes and even suggestions of alleged interference by a local mosque in some of the activities at the school or on school outings.”
In all, 17 public schools in Quebec were investigated and 11 teachers, mainly of North African descent, were suspended.
“At its core, to forbid public prayer would be somewhat like forbidding thought itself.”
Bill 9 would strengthen two previous bills—Bill 21 from 2019 and Bill 94 passed earlier this year—that together placed strict prohibitions on the wearing of “ostentatious” religious garb like hijabs, yarmulkes and turbans by public sector employees throughout the entire school system, including by cafeteria workers and janitors, and even volunteers. Bill 94 further banned school absences for religious holidays.
“We can wish someone Merry Christmas,” Roberge said. “We can sing Christmas songs. This is nothing but tradition. But we shouldn’t make any references to the birth of baby Jesus,” he said. “When we wish someone Merry Christmas, we can think of Santa Claus and his elves, but nothing Catholic.”
A reporter asked if that meant “a Christmas tree but no crèche,” and Roberge replied, “I think that’s a good illustration.”
So you can celebrate Christmas as long as you don’t mention the reason for the season?
It’s hard to believe that a province actually has a guy—a high-ranking government official—whose job is to keep religion out of public life. That is a soulless job that no one with love in their heart would want to do.
Thousands of years after the birth of Jesus, millions of people around the world still celebrate and remember his life.
How long do you think they will remember Roberge?
Quebec’s religious and human rights community have voiced strong opposition to Bill 9. The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec stated that the bill would be a “radical infringement on the rights and freedoms of the Quebec population.”
Stephen Brown, president of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, called the bill a “doubling down on identity politics and division in a desperate attempt to regain the public’s trust.”
“At its core, to forbid public prayer would be somewhat like forbidding thought itself,” said Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine.
Bishop Martin Laliberté, president of the Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops, added: “Prayer is not dangerous.”
“Suppressing peaceful religious expression, individually or communally, under the guise of secularism not only marginalizes faith-based communities but also undermines principles of inclusion, dignity and equality,” said Canadian Civil Liberties Association Equality Program Director Harini Sivalingam.
“This legislation is an assault on the constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion,” Christine Van Geyn, Canadian Constitution Foundation Litigation Director, said. “We view this as overreach that will impact religious communities across Quebec and deserves careful scrutiny. Secularism does not require hostility to people of faith, and that is what this proposed law represents.”
She added: “Banning all public prayer in Quebec violates the very freedoms that make Canada better than a theocracy. The government should enforce existing laws and ticket those who block traffic and violate noise bylaws.
But “don’t attack all people of faith.”
