Quebec has introduced a controversial law that would severely restrict prayer and religious expression in public.
Bill 9, introduced on Nov. 27, “prohibits the use of public roads and public parks for the purposes of collective religious practices” without the authorization of local municipalities in the Canadian province.
Religious practice includes groups praying in parks, streets, public squares, universities and other public areas and institutions, Premier Christian News reports.
Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s secularism minister, lauded the introduction, believing the bill would be a step toward full secularization in Quebec.
“Quebecers have advanced since 2019, which means it is necessary to strengthen our model of secularism,” he said.
When asked if children in schools would be barred from having Christmas or Hanukkah parties, Roberge said it depended on whether a party included “the transmission of faith or religious manifestations,” which would not be permitted.
“You can wish someone ‘Merry Christmas,’ you can sing a Christmas song that is simply a tradition, without making any reference in any way to the birth of baby Jesus, as they say,” he said.
Bill 9 builds on a 2019 law known as Bill 21. The law prohibits certain public sector workers from wearing anything with religious symbols, including crosses. Bill 9 expands on Bill 21 by prohibiting faculty employed in colleges, universities, daycares and private schools from wearing religious imagery, including religious private schools.
Any publicly funded places, including schools, hospitals and daycare centers, as well as private schools, cannot offer meals dedicated to those requiring religious exemptions, including halal or kosher meals.
The bill will also financially affect private religious schools that teach religious content or accept students and staff based on their religion. Under the bill, public subsidies for these schools would be phased out over three years. There about 50 religious private schools in Quebec that would be affected.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) called the move “an assault on religious freedoms, equality and basic human dignity,” claiming the restrictions disguise discrimination as secularism.
“State secularism means the separation of religion from government institutions and the neutrality of the state towards religions,” said Anaïs Bussieres McNicoll, director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the CCLA, in a press release. “This does not give the government license to suppress manifestations of religion in public spaces.”
Bill 21 has been legally challenged, and the Canada Supreme Court will hear an appeal against the law in 2026.
