Supreme Court Hears Challenge to Quebec's Secularism Law

0:00This is Global News Today, powered by AI and presented by the Daily News Now. Quebec's secularism law, known as Bill 21, has banned public workers in authority roles like teachers, judges, and police from wearing. Religious symbols since 2019. This week, the Supreme Court of Canada kicked off a four-day hearing in Ottawa to review a major constitutional challenge to the law. Groups including civil liberties advocates, Muslim councils, and Sikh organizations are pushing back, arguing it violates rights to religious freedom, and equality. The law stems from Quebec's long push for state neutrality, rooted in Laetitais, a French-style secularism. Back in the 1960s, the quiet revolution swept religion out of public schools and hospitals, ending church control. Recent immigration sparked debates, leading to this ban modeled partly on France's rules for school attire. Muslim women and Sikhs have felt the biggest hit, with many facing job losses, suspensions,

1:01or career roadblocks. New hires in schools have been let go, while grandfather workers risk issues with promotions. Some have even left the province, feeling like outsiders in their home. The Quebec government used the Constitution's notwithstanding clause to shield the law from charter challenges, and lower courts upheld it. Now the high court must weigh that clause's power. Meanwhile, Premier Legault wants to broaden the rules to all school staff, daycares, and even public prayer. Polls show most Quebecers back these measures for better coexistence, though critics mourn of targeting minorities. Whatever the ruling, it could reshape religious rights nationwide and test the limits of provincial overrides.