On February 23rd, 2026, La Presse published an op-ed co-authored by CCLA and the Ligue des droits et libertés. The authors, along with 220 signatory groups, sound the alarm on the new limits on the right to protest provided under Quebec’s Bill 13.
“Bill 13 would prohibit anyone from possessing, without valid reason, an object or substance capable of being used to cause physical harm to a person, to threaten or intimidate a person, or to cause damage to property, regardless of the individual’s intention and the absence of threatening use.
Such broad wording is excessive and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement. Wooden sticks used to hold up signs could be seen as prohibited.”
The government is also proposing to prohibit the organization of or participation in a protest in a public space if it is less than 50 meters from the property of an elected official.
“Holding a demonstration in an upscale neighborhood, for example in front of a prime minister’s opulent home, has strong symbolic significance when calls for urgent funding for social housing are ignored. Protesting is a way of showing that decisions are sometimes made by people who live in material conditions that have nothing to do with those of the average tenant in Quebec.
A democracy can only thrive when it fully protects the right to social protest. By weakening the right to protest, Bill 13 would deprive the entire Quebec population of opportunities to make their voices heard at a time when it is sorely needed.”
Read the full op-ed here.
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