A teacher from an English-speaking elementary school in the Outaouais was reassigned because her hijab violated the State Secularism Act, which prohibits teachers from wearing religious symbols in class.
Parents at Chelsea Elementary School, about 15 kilometers north of Ottawa, said they learned in a letter last week that the teacher was assigned to another position within the school.
Some parents later discovered that this reassignment was linked to wearing the hijab, which was confirmed by the teacher herself.
The Law on State Secularism, adopted in June 2019 by the National Assembly, prohibits state employees in positions of coercive authority, such as judges, police officers and prison guards, from wearing signs religious in the exercise of their functions. This ban also extends to teachers in the public network.
Parent Amanda DeGrace says supporters hung green ribbons on the school fence in support of the teacher. “Parents were informed that the teacher would be leaving the classroom [et serait affectée] in a separate role. As we live in a small community, word quickly spread about the “reasons for this reassignment,” DeGrace said in an interview Thursday. “As a parent and given the community we live in, it is very shocking to see this law come into effect. “
Wayne Daly, acting chairman of the Western Quebec School Board, said the board had made clear its opposition to the secularism law. Parents have also contacted him to express their dissatisfaction.
” They are not happy. They say the same things we do: that it’s outrageous and it shouldn’t have been done, and I can’t disagree with them, ”Daly said. “But the law is passed by our legislature and we, as citizens, elected this legislature, so if you want to change that, fine: you can vote”
The political class challenged
“First, we know the reasons, eh? We know the law that was adopted in the National Assembly, ”responded the Quebec Minister for the Fight against Racism, Benoît Charette. “We have clearly debated, here, in Parliament, and for several years, on this law, on the need for secularism for positions in authority. So it stems from that law and from this consensus that is widely present in Quebec society. “
The Parti Québécois reacted with the voice of MP Pascal Bérubé “The reason why the teacher no longer has her job is because she does not respect the law. The law is for everyone. I’m pretty sure she knew about the law. She tries to make a statement by wearing a hijab. It’s the law. Dura lex, sed lex. The law is hard, but it is the law. “
The leader of the opposition, Dominique Anglade, said in French that he did not know enough about the file to comment, but offered an answer in English. “We cannot support such a situation. There is no question about it. I do not know the details, but I can not agree with that “, she argued before reporters.
Court of Appeal
The teacher’s reassignment comes after the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled on November 9 that English-language school boards must apply the State Secularism Act until the courts hear the challenges on the merits – which could take years.
The school boards had requested an exemption to the provision, in accordance with an April decision of the Superior Court of Quebec which struck down the provisions of the law relating to English boards. This decision was then appealed by the Attorney General of Quebec, who argued that the law should apply without exception.
The Provincial Association of Teachers of Quebec (QPAT) has indicated that it will meet with the Chelsea teacher in the coming days.
With The Canadian Press