Quebec Committee Recommends Stricter Secularism Rules, Sparking Controversy

Quebec is again at the center of a secularism debate after a government-appointed committee released a 300-page report recommending tougher restrictions, while Premier François Legault pledged to ban public prayer. Civil rights and Muslim groups denounced the proposals as discriminatory and targeting minorities.

The committee, led by lawyers Guillaume Rousseau and Christiane Pelchat, issued 50 recommendations, including extending the ban on religious symbols to educators and administrators in publicly subsidized daycares, requiring citizens to keep faces uncovered when accessing public services, and giving municipalities the power to regulate public religious events. It also proposed phasing out funding for religious private schools and allowing universities to refuse creating prayer spaces.

Although the report did not call for a blanket ban on public prayer, Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge confirmed the government will introduce such legislation this fall, citing the “proliferation of street prayer” in Montreal. Legault said the move was intended to send a “clear message to Islamists.”

Critics argue the measures deepen the exclusion of religious minorities. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association warned a prayer ban would violate fundamental freedoms, while Muslim groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Muslim Forum said the measures stigmatize communities, particularly Muslim women affected by daycare restrictions. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women’s Montreal president called the proposals a “direct attack.”

Political opponents accused the government of using secularism for political gain. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suggested the push was timed to shore up public support. Legal experts noted that without invoking the Canadian Charter’s notwithstanding clause—as was done for Bill 21 in 2019—the new measures would likely fail in court.

Bill 21, which already bans religious symbols for teachers, police, and judges, remains under Supreme Court review. Critics highlight contradictions in Quebec’s approach, pointing out the state’s continued funding of religious private schools while restricting individuals’ rights.

The government maintains the proposals modernize Quebec’s secularism framework, but civil rights advocates warn they erode freedoms and social cohesion.