Legault wants to ban public prayers
(Quebec) In a "very clear message to Islamists," François Legault declares that he intends to "fight" for the "fundamental values that we have in Quebec." The CAQ leader is now talking about a possible use of the notwithstanding clause to prohibit public prayers.
What I'm saying is that seeing people praying, in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec. When you want to pray, you go to a church, to a mosque, but not to public places. And yes, we will look at the means in which we can act, legally, or otherwise.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
He said he has mandated his teams to study "all possibilities" at his disposal to act on this front,
"including the use of the notwithstanding clause."
François Legault also mentioned the idea of adopting a "Quebec constitution" that would establish "our values," including "secularism, gender equality, the importance of the integration of newcomers."
It was known that the government had begun to reflect on the advisability of tightening the prosecularism arsenal in order to stop the emergence of religion in schools, but also in the public space1.
The "tip of the iceberg"La Presse revealed Friday the case of another high school, Saint-Maxime School, in Laval, where prayers were said in class and staff members spoke to each other and students in Arabic2.
Already, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced his intention to amend the Education Act.
But his colleague Jean-François Roberge, minister responsible for secularism, then added another layer by evoking the possibility of expanding the Act respecting the laicity of the State in order to counter what he described as the phenomenon of "religious entryism," an expression first used by the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in the aftermath of the Bedford affair.
The alleged religious practices in schools are, according to Jean-François Roberge, the "tip of the iceberg" and the manifestation of a "deeper problem," he said upon his arrival at the National Assembly on Friday.
He believes that it is time to look at it "in a broader way in society: what is happening with the secularism of the State,
what is happening with entryism".
The Minister responsible for Secularism, Jean-François Roberge, on Friday
"There is a broader societal reflection as well, because we must not just attack the symptoms, but what leads to these manifestations of religion in our schools," he concluded before rushing into the Red Room.
Bernard Drainville, for his part, said he was stunned by the case of Saint-Maxime school. "This is not our Quebec," he said.
PSPP takes creditThe interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay, rejects the "label" of religious entryism that Roberge says Roberge has attached to the situation at Saint-Maxime school.
The interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay, on Friday
I go further than a simple label: what is happening is unacceptable. This is not the place to bring in religious precepts through the back door.
Marc Tanguay, Interim Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
"What is happening in my old high school [Saint-Maxime], it worries me," reacted the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Ruba Ghazal, before Mr. Legault's exit. She is "not closed" to Bernard Drainville's legislation, but she hastens to add that the "real problem" in the school system is "three-tier schooling."
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon takes credit for forcing the hand of the Legault government by talking about religious entryism. "This is a question that was imposed on the government because the government was pretending that nothing was happening," said the PQ leader.
When Parliament resumed after the October break, St-Pierre Plamondon said that the lack of co-education in Montreal schools, where a large proportion of students "were not born in Quebec," encourages "the invasion of religion."
This outing came a week after the unveiling of the investigation report on the Bedford school by Minister Bernard Drainville.
"Remember when I mentioned that we had issues of religious entryism, there were all kinds of reactions. Here is another case [that illustrates] the situation in Quebec, which is to say that it is not an isolated case in Bedford," added the leader of the Parti Québécois during his session report.
- La Presse revealed on Friday the case of a high school, Saint-Maxime school, in Laval, where prayers were said in class;
- Following his colleague Bernard Drainville, Minister Jean-François Roberge, responsible for secularism, announced his intention to strengthen the law;
- Premier François Legault later went further, saying he wanted to ban public prayers outright.
What I'm saying is that seeing people praying, in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec. When you want to pray, you go to a church, to a mosque, but not to public places. And yes, we will look at the means in which we can act, legally, or otherwise.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
He said he has mandated his teams to study "all possibilities" at his disposal to act on this front,
"including the use of the notwithstanding clause."
François Legault also mentioned the idea of adopting a "Quebec constitution" that would establish "our values," including "secularism, gender equality, the importance of the integration of newcomers."
It was known that the government had begun to reflect on the advisability of tightening the prosecularism arsenal in order to stop the emergence of religion in schools, but also in the public space1.
The "tip of the iceberg"La Presse revealed Friday the case of another high school, Saint-Maxime School, in Laval, where prayers were said in class and staff members spoke to each other and students in Arabic2.
Already, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced his intention to amend the Education Act.
But his colleague Jean-François Roberge, minister responsible for secularism, then added another layer by evoking the possibility of expanding the Act respecting the laicity of the State in order to counter what he described as the phenomenon of "religious entryism," an expression first used by the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in the aftermath of the Bedford affair.
The alleged religious practices in schools are, according to Jean-François Roberge, the "tip of the iceberg" and the manifestation of a "deeper problem," he said upon his arrival at the National Assembly on Friday.
He believes that it is time to look at it "in a broader way in society: what is happening with the secularism of the State,
what is happening with entryism".
The Minister responsible for Secularism, Jean-François Roberge, on Friday
"There is a broader societal reflection as well, because we must not just attack the symptoms, but what leads to these manifestations of religion in our schools," he concluded before rushing into the Red Room.
Bernard Drainville, for his part, said he was stunned by the case of Saint-Maxime school. "This is not our Quebec," he said.
PSPP takes creditThe interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay, rejects the "label" of religious entryism that Roberge says Roberge has attached to the situation at Saint-Maxime school.
The interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay, on Friday
I go further than a simple label: what is happening is unacceptable. This is not the place to bring in religious precepts through the back door.
Marc Tanguay, Interim Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
"What is happening in my old high school [Saint-Maxime], it worries me," reacted the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Ruba Ghazal, before Mr. Legault's exit. She is "not closed" to Bernard Drainville's legislation, but she hastens to add that the "real problem" in the school system is "three-tier schooling."
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon takes credit for forcing the hand of the Legault government by talking about religious entryism. "This is a question that was imposed on the government because the government was pretending that nothing was happening," said the PQ leader.
When Parliament resumed after the October break, St-Pierre Plamondon said that the lack of co-education in Montreal schools, where a large proportion of students "were not born in Quebec," encourages "the invasion of religion."
This outing came a week after the unveiling of the investigation report on the Bedford school by Minister Bernard Drainville.
"Remember when I mentioned that we had issues of religious entryism, there were all kinds of reactions. Here is another case [that illustrates] the situation in Quebec, which is to say that it is not an isolated case in Bedford," added the leader of the Parti Québécois during his session report.
