A new 300-page study urging that Quebec’s ban on religious symbols be extended to daycares has sparked strong backlash from Canadian Muslim organizations, media reported Thursday.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is already fighting a headscarf ban, which forbids wearing religious symbols by public servants in the workplace, in the Supreme Court.
Bill 21, which became law in 2019, covers most Quebec public servants, such as teachers, school janitors and health care workers.
It is designed to separate state from religion. The new report released Tuesday recommends that the ban include staff in subsidized daycares. The ban forbids Muslim headscarves, Sikh turbans, Christian crosses and Jewish kippahs in the workplace.
Critics contend the ban unfairly targets Muslim women and forces them to follow their religion or be fired from their jobs. The new report also said Muslim students could risk their health by fasting during Ramadan.
NCCM Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown called the report "asinine” and an infringement on their rights.
"We really have to ask some serious questions about the legitimacy of their report,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA). "At a time when Quebecers are struggling with the cost of living, inflation, and the existential crisis posed by the Trump administration, this committee put together by the CAQ Quebec (Coalition Avenir Quebec) government has chosen to consider prioritizing going after kids in school and Muslim janitorial staff.”
Brown vowed to continue the legal fight against Bill 21, along with fellow plaintiffs the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and a Quebec nurse.
The report was commissioned by the Quebec government.
