Even if he opposes the Quebec law on the secularism of the state, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, does not invite himself for the moment in his legal challenge not to give “the excuse” to the Legault government for federal interference.
“I think it’s important, in the early stages, in the work [de contestation judiciaire] which is done now, not to give the excuse of a battle between Ottawa and Quebec ”, explained the Prime Minister, Monday, on the sidelines of the announcement of an agreement for subsidized daycares with New Brunswick .
Justin Trudeau reiterated that he let Quebeckers themselves challenge the State Secularism Act in court. Adopted in June 2019 by the National Assembly, this law prohibits certain state employees in positions of authority, such as peace officers, prosecutors and teachers, from wearing religious symbols in their duties. The Prime Minister has never closed the door to providing federal assistance for his legal challenge to the courts.
Bill 21 resulted in the recent reassignment of a new teacher from an English school in Chelsea, Outaouais, who wears the hijab. In the opinion of the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, the fault lies with the school board, which should not have hired him in the first place.
According to Justin Trudeau, “a lot of Quebecers are concerned about the fact that in a society that claims to be free and open, someone can lose their job because of their religion.” However, a federal commitment in the matter would have the consequence, he said, of “giving the government of Quebec the excuse that it is federal interference.” “
“It is no longer a theoretical issue. I think of the parents of children in 3e year at Chelsea. They must explain to their children why a teacher they loved, […] who did his job very well, lost his job because of his religion. “
A first court ruled this spring on the validity of Bill 21, but the exception granted to English schools is the subject of an appeal by the Legault government. The Court of Appeal then ruled in November that English-language school boards must apply it until the case is heard on the merits, which could take years.
On Sunday, Canada’s Ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, added his voice to that of several MPs in Ottawa to criticize Quebec’s Law 21, calling it on Twitter “discriminatory” and “contrary to the Universal Declaration of human rights. “
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, saw it as proof that Canadian diplomacy ” [salit] the image of Quebec abroad ”. He reiterated his party’s promise to go abroad to “restore Quebec’s reputation, on the contrary, to progressive and welcoming” to other countries.