Bill 21: Five things about Quebec’s contentious secularism law

Quebec’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, has faced numerous court challenges since it was adopted nearly five years ago, with the Quebec Court of Appeal the latest to weigh in.

Here’s a look at the law.

Bill 21 was passed in June 2019 and confirmed the province’s secular status. Formally called “An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State,” it sets out four principles of Quebec secularism: separation of state and religion, the state’s religious neutrality, the equality of all citizens and freedom of conscience and freedom of religion.

Among its most controversial measures is one forbidding state employees deemed to be in positions of power from wearing religious symbols at work.

Public servants, including teachers, police officers and judges, are forbidden from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab, turban or kippah while working. The legislation also requires people offering and receiving government services to have their face uncovered while doing so. The Quebec government has described the law as reasonable.

The bill included a grandfather clause exempting those who were employed before the bill was tabled, as long as they don’t change jobs, but new hires must abide by the rules. A Quebec Superior Court ruling in April 2021 struck down clauses pertaining to English-language school boards and a ban on provincial legislature members from wearing face coverings, but the law remains in effect until appeals are heard. That means English school boards have not been able to hire as they please.

The province pre-emptively used Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedom, known as the notwithstanding clause, to shield the legislation from any court challenges over fundamental rights violations.

François Legault’s Coalition