MONTRÉAL, QC — On October 29th, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association attended a press conference hosted by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) to call out the Quebec gov on its latest suggestion: prohibiting elementary school students from wearing religious symbols.
Read the full remarks below:
Hello,
My name is Anaïs Bussières McNicoll. I’m the Quebec spokesperson and Director of Fundamental Freedoms at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). We’re an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the fundamental rights and freedoms of everyone in Canada.
For more than seven years, the CCLA has watched with dismay as the Quebec government has distorted the concept of state secularism to exclude certain religious groups—Muslim women in particular—from an ever-growing range of areas of public life.
Through Bills 21, 94, and 9, the government has progressively expanded restrictions on religious expression. It first banned certain public sector employees—including teachers, judges, and police officers—from wearing religious symbols, then extended the ban to staff at public schools, publicly funded private schools, and public or publicly funded daycare centres.
These discriminatory laws, which infringe on freedom of religion and freedom of expression, have had serious consequences: women have lost their jobs; students have had to reconsider their career aspirations; certain community organizations can no longer participate in school activities; and some parents can no longer volunteer at their children’s schools.
Yesterday, the new Minister of Education confirmed the government’s intention to go even further by extending the ban on religious symbols to children attending elementary school.
As a spokesperson for the CCLA, but also as a mother, I have a message for the government today:
A 10-year-old girl should have the right to go to school. Period.
No “ifs.” No “buts.”
Education is a fundamental right, and it’s the state’s duty to do everything in its power to protect it.
As a society, we regularly condemn countries where young girls are denied an education because of who they are or how they dress. We rightly insist that the state has no business imposing its beliefs on women, and that everyone should have access to education.
I would argue that the same principle applies here: in the name of its own moral convictions, the Quebec government is preparing to risk depriving certain children of their right to an education.
Already, the Montreal Association of School Principals has expressed concern that students could drop out of school. Both this association and the Quebec Federation of School Principals have also pointed out that religious symbols are not an issue in schools.
Once again, we’re faced with a solution in search of a problem. And this time, the Quebec government is targeting children, sending a message of exclusion and rejection of difference to every elementary school student.
To the Quebec government, I say this: our mobilization has only just begun. Hundreds of civil society groups are already working together through the Coalition Against the Instrumentalization of Secularism in Quebec. Yesterday’s announcement only reinforces how important and urgent this work is.
And to the public, who are tired of seeing their elected officials govern through fear and exclusion instead of addressing the issues that matter most—including health care, education, housing, the environment, and the cost of living—I say: join us.
Thank you.
