Bill 21: Should police officers be able to wear religious symbols?
“There is no proof that Quebec’s prohibition on officers wearing religious symbols provides any true public benefit,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada.
B’nai Brith says it surveyed police forces across the country and found accommodations for officers who wear religious garments is common across jurisdictions.
Leaders of the group called Quebec an "anomaly" in Canada, due to its controversial secularism law, also known as Bill 21, which barres people holding positions of authority, such as teachers and police officers, from wearing religious garments.
The group, which has long been opposed to the law, renewed calls for change after the U.S. state of Connecticut passed a new law requiring police forces to accommodate religious headwear.
"Following Connecticut's example will permit Canadian police departments to benefit from a larger, more diverse pool of talented candidates," said Marvin Rotrand, B'nai Brith Canada's national director of its League for Human Rights.
He says changing the law, at least with regard to police, could help to mitigate Montreal’s challenges with retaining staff.
Two weeks ago, Montreal police lost 10 officers, including seven due to reasons other than retirement.
"The departments we surveyed [elsewhere in Canada] said the minor uniform changes were supported by the public, and officers who wear religious symbols are as professional and effective as those who don't," said Rotrand.
"The RCMP [has] agreed to allow officers to wear their own kippahs until such time as an approved version is available in the force's stores," B'nai Brith notes of the head covering worn by Jewish men.
He also said officers wearing religious symbols are granted “an ‘in’ to various communities,” adding visual indicators of faith build “public trust.”
“It builds dialogue,” he said.
‘AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FOR US’: LEGAULT
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party, led by Premier François Legault, drove the bill to pass in 2019.
Bill 21 has been challenged in court and sparked some backlash from the public, both in and outside of Quebec. On Wednesday, the incumbent premier defended the law once again.
“It's an important subject for us. We think that someone in a position of authority should not wear a religious symbol and shouldn’t send a religious message,” said Legault, adding that such laws also exist in other countries.
B’nai Brith challenged the premier’s position the following day.
“[We ask Legault] to release any evidence that his practice is beneficial to public security or society,” said Mostyn.
“We suspect he will not be able to offer any real proof other than he himself believes it to be true,” he added.
“We see the province’s claim of state neutrality as simply excluding talented individuals who are from religious minorities.”
-- with files from CTV News' Rachel Lau and Luca Caruso-Moro.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 120 active fires burning across Canada, 30 are 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
BREAKING B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Legislative speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for childcare as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.