Court of Appeal upholds controversial Quebec secularism law

The Quebec Court of Appeal has upheld the province's controversial secularism law in its entirety, in a ruling on challenges to the law's constitutionality released Thursday afternoon.

The heavily anticipated judgment is 300-pages long and quashes a previous exception made by Superior Court Judge Marc-André Blanchard, allowing English schools to employ teachers wearing religious symbols, such as a head covering, while on the job.

A panel of Appeal Court judges heard arguments both from civil liberties groups challenging the law, as well as from the government, in November 2022.

Premier François Legault's government had appealed the Superior Court decision, rendered in April 2021, that upheld most of the law but made the exception for English schools.

His government had said the exception created an unfair distinction between francophone and anglophone schools.

The Quebec Court of Appeal will release its long-awaited decision this afternoon on the province's secularism law, Bill 21.

The law, which has been in place for five years, prevents a number of civil servants — including teachers and police officers — from wearing religious symbols while on the job.

Several groups have challenged the law's constitutionality. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council of Canadian Muslims were among those arguing Bill 21 discriminates on the basis of religion.

Arguments in the Court of Appeal case were heard by a panel of judges a year and a half ago. At the time, the panel of judges hinted that the case hinges on whether the bill disproportionately discriminates against Muslim women who wear the hijab.

«That's a tough question, but it's really at the centre of our preoccupations and that's why we asked it,»