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
Judge in Trump's hush money trial threatened to throw witness out of court for behavior on stand
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
Judge cites error, will reopen sentencing hearing for man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband
A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man who broke into Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer after the judge failed to allow him to speak during his court appearance last week.
Is that 'Her'? OpenAI pauses a ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson
OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some users said it sounded like Scarlett Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film 'Her.'
Microsoft's AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on a PC
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.