Civil rights groups alarmed over Quebec's move to ban prayer in public

"The announcement follows public statements from Quebec's premier, Francois Legault, who expressed mounting frustration over public prayers in the province's largest city, Montreal. To see people praying in the street, in public parks, this is not something we want in Quebec, he said last year. When you want to pray, you go in a church or a mosque, not in a public place."

"For more than half a year, the group Montreal4Palestine has organized Sunday protests outside the city's Notre-Dame Basilica that include public prayer. The demonstrations have also prompted counterprotests. Legault's governing Coalition Avenir Quebec has made secularism a key legislative priority, passing the controversial Bill 21 in 2019. That law, which runs afoul of both Quebec's charter of human rights and freedoms and Canada's charter of rights and freedoms, bars judges, police officers, prison guards and teachers from wearing religious symbols while at work."

"In 2021, Quebec's superior court upheld the statute despite a finding that the law violates the freedom of expression and religion of religious minorities. Governments in Canada can pass laws that breaches certain fundamental rights if they use a legal mechanism known as a the notwithstanding clause. It is unclear if the province would once again invoke the clause when passing legislation on public prayer."

Quebec intends to ban public prayer, citing a proliferation of street prayer deemed a serious and sensitive issue by the secularism minister. The premier expressed that praying should occur in churches or mosques rather than public parks or streets. Montreal4Palestine has organized weekly Sunday protests with public prayer outside Notre-Dame Basilica, which have drawn counterprotests. The governing Coalition Avenir Quebec previously passed Bill 21 in 2019, restricting religious symbols for many public workers. Quebec's superior court upheld that law in 2021 despite finding violations of expression and religion. The province may consider using the notwithstanding clause to shield new legislation from constitutional challenges.

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