New Quebec law coming to ban public prayers, prayer rooms on campus, in wider secularism push

Quebec’s nationalist government is expected to table yet another bill later this week that will go even further to take religion out of provincial institutions and public life–and which will likely include a few key issues impacting the Jewish community. The new “Secularism 2.0” law, as the minister in charge has dubbed it, will make it illegal to hold public prayers on the streets, although the province will leave it up to municipalities to enforce the ban.

Some observers believe it’s a response to growing concerns in Quebec since Oct. 7, 2023 over the frequent, intimidating anti-Israel protests where Muslim demonstrators block traffic to hold prayer services. Others say it’s a sign the ruling CAQ government is in trouble at the polls, which is why lawmakers are doubling down on Quebec’s existing secularism restrictions. Since 2019, many government employees have been banned from covering their faces, and from wearing religious symbols like hijabs and kippahs at work. Then just a few weeks ago, Bill 94 was passed on Oct. 30, that expanded these bans to more people in the Quebec education system. It also revoked the practice of giving public school staff and students accommodation via time off to observe their religious holidays.

While there is some fear this coming week’s newer proposals could impact provincially-subsidized day schools, and ban kosher meals in public institutions, Jewish leaders say they will wait to comment until the actual bill is tabled.

All this comes after recent local elections, which saw Montreal elect a new mayor who is seen as friendlier to the security concerns of the Jewish community, while in the majority-Jewish municipalities of Côte Saint-Luc and Hampstead, two kippah-wearing mayors have now officially been sworn in to office. The CJN’s Quebec correspondent Joel Ceausu joins “North Star” host Ellin Bessner–back from vacation–to unpack all these developments.

Related links

• Read about Côte Saint-Luc’s newly elected mayor, David Tordjman, in The CJN .

• Learn more about Montreal’s new mayor and some of the key issues impacting Jewish voters, in The CJN .

• How Quebec moved to tighten secularism laws, bans religious symbols and face coverings for school staff, with more to come, in The CJN .

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner )

• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)

• Music:

Bret Higgins

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