On March 26, a four-day hearing concluded in the Supreme Court of Canada, where six groups challenged the Quebec government regarding Bill 21, continuing the debate over religious freedom, minority rights, and the use of the notwithstanding clause. The six opposing groups include the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), the[Read More…]
Tag: Bill 21
Debate intensifies over Quebec’s proposed Bill 9
Quebec’s proposed Bill 9 could change regulations around religious expression in public institutions, including universities. Introduced in November 2025 and currently in committee, the legislation expands the province’s secularism law and has sparked debate among students, advocacy groups, and university administrators about its potential impact on campus life. Bill 9[Read More…]
Legault’s gone—Bill 21 should be too
Since his 2018 inauguration, Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) leader and Quebec premier François Legault has prioritized secularization and the protection of Quebec’s francophone identity. His resignation in January 2026 has left the province in political uncertainty, particularly regarding Bill 21, which prohibits certain public servants—including police officers, judges, and teachers—from[Read More…]
MAW hosts roundtable discussing Bill 94’s violation of human rights
On Jan. 27, Muslim Awareness Week (MAW) hosted a roundtable on the dangers to civil liberties that Bill 94—passed in October 2025—would bring. Quebec lawmakers allege that Bill 94 is intended to reinforce secularism in the Quebec education system and bring several legislative reforms. The bill requires any worker providing[Read More…]
Quebec’s proposed public prayer ban could decrease inclusivity at McGill
The Coalition Avenir Québec announced in late August that it plans to propose a law this fall banning public prayer. Introduced by Quebec’s Secularism Minister, Jean-Francois Roberge, the measure is intended to reinforce the province’s existing secularism laws, including Bill 21, which the government implemented in 2019. The newly proposed[Read More…]
Quebec’s potential ban on public prayer epitomizes the hypocrisies of selective secularism
With the announcement of a new committee on secularism, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is poised to tighten restrictions on religious expression, especially through the expansion of Bill 21—a 2019 law barring public employees from wearing religious symbols—and a potential ban on public prayer. The CAQ committee will assess[Read More…]
Interfaith panel unpacks impacts of Bill 21 and discrimination in Quebec
On March 10, students and legal professionals convened in New Chancellor Day Hall for a conference titled “Law & Faith: Bill 21 and Religious Discrimination.” The event, put on by the McGill Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA), the McGill Jewish Law Students’ Association (JLSA), and the McGill Muslim Law Students’[Read More…]
Targeting Elghawaby is a bigoted political play
On Jan. 26, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Amira Elghawaby as the country’s first federal representative on combating Islamophobia. Within mere days of her appointment, various politicians and Members of Parliament began calling for the resignation of the Canadian journalist, communications professional, and human rights activist. Elghawaby was accused[Read More…]
Bill 21 hearings conclude, reinvigorate outrage from members of McGill community
Nov. 16 marked the final day of hearings against Bill 21 at the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montreal. The legislation has faced controversy because it prohibits people employed in the public sector from wearing visible religious symbols at work and preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause. Over five non-consecutive[Read More…]
‘Living with Law 21’ panel tells personal narratives of Bill 21’s multifarious impacts
On June 16, 2019, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government implemented Bill 21, which banned public sector employees from wearing religious symbols at work. Since then, many McGill students and staff have critiqued the secularism the Act purports to uphold, drawing particular attention to its effect on racial and gender[Read More…]