Officials in Quebec, Canada, have introduced a bill prohibiting most forms of religious expression in public settings and universities.
Bill 9, called “An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec,” prohibits “religious practice in a place under the authority of an institution or body that is subject to the requirement to comply with the principles on which State laicity is based, subject to certain exceptions.” It further “extends the prohibition on wearing religious symbols that is set out in the Act respecting the laicity of the State to personnel members of childcare centres, subsidized day care centres and home educational childcare coordinating offices,” as well as those who work at educational institutions.
The bill also requires individuals to have their faces uncovered when receiving certain services. Reports speculate that the provision targets Muslim women.
It further states that public spaces are to foster “religious neutrality,” such as prohibiting the “use of public roads and public parks for the purposes of collective religious practice without the authorization of the municipality.”
According to the BBC, the bill seeks to “strengthen state secularism” and expands upon a 2019 law. Jean-François Roberge, a minister for secularism, explained that the bill is “part of an approach that respected individual as well as collective rights.”
“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,” he told the outlet.
An August report suggested that Quebec ban religious symbols for workers in certain industries.
