(Quebec) The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) warns the Legault government against managing events in convention centers on a “case by case” basis.
The organization issued a press release on Thursday evening to “express its concerns” and recall “the fundamental importance of freedom of expression and freedom of opinion”.
Last Friday, the Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, intervened to cancel an event that she considered anti-abortion which was to be held at the Quebec City Convention Center from June 23 to July 2.
The religious group Harvest Ministries International, from British Columbia, was quick to put the Government of Quebec and the Convention Center on notice.
The government’s decision to ban this group from the Convention Center “raises fundamental questions relating to the protection of the rights guaranteed by the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms”, according to the CDPDJ.
“As guaranteed by the Quebec Charter, freedom of expression aims to protect both ideas deemed unpopular and controversial and unanimous ideas. It is an essential pillar of a democratic society,” she continued.
The CDPDJ cites article 3 of the Quebec Charter, which stipulates that “everyone is entitled to fundamental freedoms such as freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression”.
“This means that every individual has the right to think freely, to formulate their opinions and to express them, without fear of censorship or repression,” she stresses.
In addition, section 10 protects the right to equality and section 12 prohibits refusing, by discrimination, a legal act having as its object goods or services ordinarily offered to the public.
The Commission concludes by recognizing that the freedoms of expression and opinion are not absolute and that limits may be imposed.
“However, by limiting freedom of expression according to principles that are not clearly and precisely defined, we risk opening the door to arbitrary restrictions and to the infringement of the fundamental rights of individuals and groups,” she warns. .
Silence in government
Asked about this on Friday, Prime Minister François Legault recalled that “there is a consensus in Quebec that we want women to be able to choose whether or not they want to have an abortion”.
For the rest, “you have to be careful, it’s before the courts,” he said. We will first look at what is happening in the courts. » Mme Proulx declined to comment on Friday.
In addition, the government blocked a motion by the Parti Québécois affirming that “the rights of expression, association and peaceful assembly cannot be denied, except in the case of calls for hatred and violence”.