Pauline Marois will receive the International Prize for Secularism from the hands of former French President François Hollande on Wednesday for her “years of unwavering commitment […] in favor of secularism” — from the deconfessionalization of public schools to the Charter of Quebec Values.
The former minister and Prime Minister of Quebec will be awarded this distinction, awarded annually for 16 years by the Secular Republic Committee, at the Paris City Hall around 6 p.m. – French time.
Mme Marois was in direct competition with the minister of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) Simon Jolin-Barrette, also named among the finalists for the prize. The work of the former PQ Premier for the “deconfessionalization of the school system”, for the “disengagement from the stranglehold of religion” and the tabling of the Charter of Values under her government has enabled her to distinguish herself, indicates the president of the CLR, Gilbert Abergel, in interview with The duty.
In the press kit provided by the CLR, the description of Mme Marois refers to a “charter of state secularism, a law adopted by the National Assembly in June 2019”. However, the “Charter affirming the values of secularism and religious neutrality of the State as well as equality between women and men and providing a framework for requests for accommodation”, filed in 2013 under the Marois government and nicknamed “Charter of values”, differs from the “Law on the secularism of the State”, or “Law 21”, adopted under gag order by the CAQ government in 2019.
“You’re right,” agreed Mr. Abergel on the other end of the line when made aware of the error.
But this slight oddity has something revealing, underlines in an interview the former Prime Minister Marois, who takes “quite” a share of the credit for the law 21 caquiste. “It is our situation to [gouvernement] minority which meant that we could not adopt the [Charte], she said from Paris. If we had not taken this initiative, would those who followed have taken it? »
Mme Marois is also proud to have signed the preface to the work Secularism: the choice of Quebec. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Law on State Secularism, which was imagined by Minister Jolin-Barrette last year. “Yes, I take credit. Honestly. And I don’t hesitate to say it, ”she says.
Prohibited, religious signs
It was former PQ minister Bernard Drainville – now CAQ minister – who tabled the bill in November 2013, since nicknamed “Charter of Values”. This aimed in particular to prohibit all state employees from wearing any “object ostensibly marking a religious affiliation”.
The Charter, which led to extensive general consultations of the Quebec population, was never adopted. In 2014, Pauline Marois bit the dust in the elections against the Liberal Party of Philippe Couillard, firmly opposed to the bill. Mme Marois maintains, however, that “despite what people have said, [la Charte bénéficiait d’un] tremendous support.
“It turned out, moreover, because François Legault presented Bill 21 with Simon Jolin-Barrette, and we saw how they were supported in this regard,” she says.
In the spring of 2019, the Caquiste government of François Legault had its law adopted under gag order. This was generally based on the same principles, namely the prohibition for members of the public service to wear a religious symbol at work.
Since then, she had to undergo the test of the courts. The Superior Court of Quebec partially invalidated it in 2021; the Quebec Court of Appeal is considering new challenges this week. Mme Marois does not dare to “assume judgment”, but believes that “legally, we should be able to get through this dispute”.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, praised Tuesday the “courage” shown by Mr.me Marois in “open[ant] the debate on the secularism of the State”. “She was deeply convinced, and rightly so, of the need to ensure a clear separation between state and religion. It is his perseverance and calm that will have enabled this principle to become a reality in Quebec society,” he said in a written statement.