Quebec: Prayer ban plan outrage

Quebec is moving towards banning public prayer in a concerning push to limit religious expression in the region.

Criticised for endangering “basic democratic freedoms”, the move is another step in governing Coalition Avenir Québec’s agenda to promote secularism, or laïcité, on the back of Bill 21, which was passed in 2019.

That legislation received widespread backlash for prohibiting public workers including teachers and police officers from wearing religious symbols at work. Laïcité means a legal and political model based on the strict separation of religion and state. The term was coined in 1871 by French educator and future Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ferdinand Buisson.

This latest development, which was put forward by Premier François Legault, was touted as a response to Muslim prayer at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. However in action, it will apply to all faiths. With almost 65% of Quebec’s population identifying as Christian, the province is one of the most religious in Canada.

“To see people praying in the street, in public parks, this is not something we want in Quebec,” Legault said. “When you want to pray, you go in a church or a mosque, not in a public place.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said banning prayer in public spaces would infringe on freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

“The Quebec government’s aggressive application of a variant of laïcité or secularism is deeply troubling and impacts many religious communities in Quebec,” said Bruce Clemenger, senior ambassador and president emeritus of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC).

Clemenger also noted his concern over Quebec’s government recently cancelling a contract with a Christian ministry that planned to hold an event in a government building, due to the ministry’s pro-life views.

“As many Christian groups rent spaces such as libraries and schools for Sunday services and other activities, the outcome of this case will have repercussions for many religious organisations,” he said.

The EFC, along with the Quebec Evangelical Roundtable and the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, is intervening in the case which will be heard in November.

“Not all jurisdictions in Canada interpret secularism to require the prohibition of religious expression in public spaces,” Clemenger explained.