Democratic Emergency in Quebec

The Quebec government is:

• limiting the powers of civil society to challenge government action;
• limiting access to the courts and delegitimising their decisions;
• eroding the fundamental rights of the people it is supposed to serve; and
• trampling on minority rights of vulnerable populations

This quest for absolute power is not insignificant. It is a typical example of the beginnings of an “authoritarian drift” – the gradual increase of government control over more and more of civil life.

It is not too late to put a stop to this dangerous slide.

We summarise here:

• the government’s recent attacks on the rule of law;
• how the CCLA is fighting back against this emerging authoritarian drift; and
• how the people of Quebec can join forces with us and take action.

Bill 1 (Quebec Constitution Act, 2025) purports to introduce a Quebec constitution that would be the supreme law of the province.

To be legitimate, a constitution must be the result of prior consultations with the entire population, including Indigenous peoples and marginalised groups.

However, Bill 1 was drafted behind closed doors, without prior consultation. This shortcoming is fatal to its political legitimacy.

There is more. A constitution must seek to guarantee people’s fundamental rights and to prevent any attempts to introduce an authoritarian regime.

Bill 1 does the opposite:

• It normalises the use of the notwithstanding clause to deprive the population of their recourse to the courts when laws violate important fundamental rights.
• It limits the ability of civil society groups receiving public funding to challenge certain laws in court.
• It attempts to undermine judicial decisions by creating a biased Constitutional Council responsible for ruling on similar issues.
• It erodes the protections of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
• It weakens abortion rights.

CCLA in action:

• Read the brief submitted by the CCLA to the National Assembly’s Committee on Institutions regarding Bill 1.
• Watch CCLA’s parliamentary testimony.
• Read the statement by more than 300 Quebec civil society groups, including the CCLA, calling for the withdrawal of Bill 1.

Bill 2 (An Act mainly to establish collective responsibility with respect to improvement of access to medical services and to ensure continuity of provision of those services) was passed under closure on October 25, 2025.

This law infringes on several fundamental rights, not only those of Quebec doctors, but also of the general population:

• By prohibiting all pressure tactics and unilaterally imposing new working conditions and remuneration, the government is violating doctors’ freedom of association.
• By prohibiting any “concerted action” leading to the cessation of a doctor’s professional activities—including moving to another province—this law violates doctors’ constitutional right to interprovincial mobility.
• Any person who, through encouragement or advice, incites or induces another person to contravene the law may also be subject to penalties. This constitutes a direct attack on freedom of expression of Quebecers in general.

CCLA in action:

• Read CCLA’s press release condemning the adoption of this bill.

Update:

• Following significant public mobilisation, the Quebec government announced on December 11, 2025 that Bill 2 would not come into force until February 28, 2025.
• More updates to follow.

Bill 3 (An Act to improve the transparency, governance and democratic process of various associations in the workplace) was tabled on October 30, 2025.

It introduces the concept of “optional contributions” to finance certain union activities that are critical of the government’s actions.

These new restrictions:

• make it more difficult for unions to challenge the validity of laws and other government actions;
• get in the way of unions speaking out on important social issues.

Bill 89 (An Act to give greater consideration to the needs of the population in the event of a strike or a lock-out) came into force on this last November 30^th.

This law is a dangerous political tool that can be invoked to end or limit a strike whenever it causes significant discontent among groups that have the government’s ear. This law undermines the ability of employees to counterbalance the inequalities in their relationship with their employer.

It is, of course, legitimate to limit the right to strike for essential services whose interruption would endanger public health or safety. However, extending such limits to all services that ensure the “well-being” of the population is a very slippery slope.

CCLA in action:

• Read the brief submitted by the CCLA to the National Assembly’s Committee on Labour and Economy regarding Bill 89 (now 14).
• Read CCLA’s press release on Bill 89 (now 14).

True state secularism is a very important principle in a modern democracy. It means:

• that state institutions are free from religious control; and
• that the state is neutral regarding the beliefs and non-beliefs of the population.

State secularism does not mean:

• that all examples of religious practices or beliefs in public spaces can legitimately be banned by the government; or
• that religious freedoms of minority religious communities should be curtailed by the state.

However, this is what the Quebec government has been doing for several years, by using the notwithstanding clause to override religious freedom and equality rights:

• In 2019, the government passed An Act respecting the laicity of the State (Bill 21), which bans the wearing of religious symbols by certain state employees in positions of authority, such as teachers in public schools, judges and police officers.
• In the summer of 2025, the government passed An Act respecting national integration (Bill 84). This law establishes a framework for integration in Quebec based on the adoption of a “common” Quebec culture, which is notably based on the government’s distorted vision of secularism.
• In autumn 2025, the government passed the An Act to, in particular, reinforce laicity in the education network and to amend various legislative provisions (Bill 94), which extends the ban on wearing religious symbols to all support staff in public schools.
• On November 27, 2025, the government introduced Bill 9 (An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec), which extends the ban on wearing religious symbols to staff at daycare centres and subsidised private schools. This bill also bans most collective religious practices in public, as well as religious practices in various public and private institutions and drastically alters the responsibility of employers and others to make reasonable accommodations for constitutionally protected religious requirements.

In addition to discriminating against and sending a message of exclusion to Quebec’s religious communities, these laws and bills are detrimental to the entire population. Generations of Quebecers will be deprived of competent professionals  because the Quebec government will  force them to choose between their work and their faith.

CCLA in action:

• We are challenging Bill 21 at the Supreme Court of Canada. Learn more here.
• Read CCLA’s briefs on Bill 84 (national integration), Bill 94 (secularism in education) and Bill 9 (secularism).
• Read CCLA’s press release on Bill 9 (secularism).
• Read the op-eds co-authored by CCLA on Bill 94 and Bill 9 (secularism).

On December 10, 2025, the Quebec government introduced Bill 13, An Act to promote the safety and sense of security of the population and to amend various provisions.

Bill 13 prohibits peaceful demonstrations near the residences of elected officials.

• Even a group of elderly people reading aloud a poem about peace would be prohibited.

Bill 13 allows for the search of protesters suspected of possessing, “without valid reason,” an object that could be used to cause physical harm to another person.

• A placard attached to a heavy stick, or a walking stick that appears to be of no use to its owner, could be banned and seized.

Bill 13 prohibits the public display of any name or symbol associated with an entity included on the new “list of entities with criminal intent”.

• The conditions for inclusion on this list are so broad that they could include an environmental activist group whose members have been arrested for blocking a bridge.
• An individual wearing a T-shirt displaying the logo of this group could then be in violation of the new law.

CCLA in action:

• Read CCLA’s press release on Bill 13 here.
• Read CCLA’s submission on Bill 13 here.
• Read the op-ed co-authored by CCLA and the Ligue des droits et libertés, and endorsed by more than 200 groups here.

Constitution Bill (Bill 1):

• Groups: Any Quebec-based group can endorse the joint civil society statement against Bill 1.
  • Deadline: March 20th, 2026
• Individuals: Quebecers can sign this petition on the National Assembly’s website.
  • Deadline: February 26, 2026

Donate:

• Quebec needs independent organisations capable of protecting the pillars of our legal system more than ever.
• Since 1964, the CCLA has been the watchdog for fundamental rights and freedoms across Canada, including in Quebec.
• We continue to fight tirelessly for a more just and inclusive world—including by challenging Bill 21 before the Supreme Court of Canada.
• Help stop the authoritarian drift and restore democratic principles
• By Donating now, you are directly contributing to protecting Quebec society against authoritarian abuses.