NCCM and CCLA Litigating Prayer Ban

MONTREAL — The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and a Quebec student are launching a joint challenge to the Quebec government’s Decree 702-2023, which bans visible prayer in public schools.

The joint lawsuit addresses the prayer ban’s violation of personal and religious freedoms. This is an issue that has direct effects on the lives of children. The lawsuit includes a Quebec student plaintiff whose civil rights and religious freedoms are breached by the Quebec government’s Decree.

The plaintiff’s situation is representative of many students and kids in elementary and high schools in Quebec who are now not able to freely practice their faiths.

“In a secular democratic country, no government should be telling anybody, much less children, how to pray,” said NCCM CEO Stephen Brown. “Our children should not be contending with the state meddling in their spiritual lives. We cannot allow for the state to police our children in schools – a place where they should be learning and growing in a safe and supportive environment regardless of their religious background. This is why we will not stop until this Decree is struck down.”

“This Decree is hurting Quebec students. After the Decree was issued students have told us that their schools have prohibited them from praying at school all together,” said Harini Sivalingam, Equality Program Director at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

“Today we are in court to stand up for Quebec students. This Decree must be suspended due to the significant harm to children in Quebec schools.”

Banning prayers at public schools enables the policing of children. According to the Decree, teachers and administrative staff will be tasked with monitoring how children carry out a basic human and Charter right, the right to practice one’s faith. This transforms schools and classrooms from places of safety and learning into places of conflict and discrimination.

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Relevant Court Filings (French Only):

• Demande pour protéger l’anonymat du demandeur
• Jugement – Protection de l’anonymat du demandeur
• Pourvoi en contrôle judiciaire

The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for civic engagement and the promotion of human rights. 

The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.

BILINGUAL MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Alexandre Nanoff, CCLA Media Relations
media@ccla.org
613.709.6318

Stephen Brown, Chief Executive Officer, NCCM
514.808.3729
sbrown@nccm.ca