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The Quebec government says it will introduce legislation to ban prayer in public places to strengthen secularism in the province.
Premier François Legault raised the issue of ending public prayer last year, saying he wanted to send a “clear message to Islamists.” He also said the province could use the notwithstanding clause to protect the legislation from legal challenges.
Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said that legislation will come this fall.
Roberge called public prayers a “serious and sensitive issue” for Quebec in a statement released on Aug. 28. He noted the government had “expressed its discomfort” with the “increasingly prevalent phenomenon.”
“The Premier of Quebec has given me the mandate to strengthen secularism, and I am firmly committed to fulfilling this mandate diligently,” he said.
“This fall, we will therefore table a bill to strengthen secularism in Quebec, including by prohibiting street prayers.”
The decision comes as tensions rise over Muslim prayers being performed during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, such as those in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) said it “strongly condemns” the decision to prohibit prayer in public.
Anaïs Bussieres McNicoll, director of the CCLA’s Fundamental Freedoms Program, said it encroached on peoples’ freedoms.
“The freedom to express one’s thoughts, opinions and beliefs in public, including through prayer, is a cornerstone of any democratic society,” Bussieres said. “Although fundamental freedoms are not absolute, Quebecers from all walks of life should be wary of irrational and overly broad restrictions to these basic democratic freedoms.”
The Canadian Muslim Forum said it had “deep concern” over the province’s decision.
“The CAQ government should be focused on solving real problems, not policing the fundamental rights of its citizens,” the organization said in an Aug. 28 statement.
Secularism Recommendations
Roberge said the government’s deliberations on “several aspects of secularism” were “well advanced,” referring to a recently submitted committee report with recommendations on how to strengthen secularism in Quebec.
The nearly 300-page report included 50 recommendations, including limiting religious accommodations and extending the ban on religious symbols to daycare workers.
The province introduced Bill 21, the secularism law, in 2019, which prohibits religious symbols being worn by civil servants and teachers in the public sector.
The report said that municipalities should be responsible for regulating prayer in public spaces.
Other parties beside Legault’s governing Coalition Avenir Québec are also considering initiatives to strengthen secularism in the province.
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said his would hold a “consultative referendum” where members would be invited to share their views on secularism, such as prohibiting public prayer and banning students from wearing religious symbols in schools.
“I believe that certain positions of the Parti Québécois must evolve in response to new realities affecting our ever-changing society,” Plamondon said in an Aug. 27 statement.
He said the issue of public prayer “has been ever-present,” with prayers being held in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica “every Sunday.”
“In general, the principle should be that faith is primarily practiced in private and in places of worship, which are numerous for all religions in Quebec, especially in Montreal,” he said.
He added that public prayers that block traffic, “illegally occupy public space,” and disrupt public order must be prohibited to “maintain a climate of peace in our society.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this article.