The Coalition Inclusion Quebec (CIQ) will join the list of groups taking the Quebec government to court to challenge the law banning the wearing of religious symbols by public employees.
In a Sept. 27 statement, the collection of citizens opposed to Quebec's secularism law cited a Leger marketing poll that showed support for Bill 21 (An Act respecting the laicity of the State) would fall by around 20 per cent if the "were to be deemed to violate Quebec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms."
"This decline in support reflects a widespread respect for the judiciary and an implicit recognition that constitutional guarantees of basic rights and freedoms represent a bedrock of our society," the statement reads.
The CIL goes on to criticize the CAQ government's use of the notwithstanding clause calling it, "an attempt by the government to short-circuit the discussion about the unconstitutionality of the legislation and its attack on well-established values."
By using the notwithstanding clause, the CIQ writes, the government is admitting the law violates basic rights and freedoms, and the CIQ wants the courts to confirm this.
The CIL's argues that the law is "enshrining a state preference for the absence of religion as a fundamental constitutional norm in Quebec."
The CIL also suggests women are the main targets of the law.
"There is little doubt that the target of Law 21 is hijab-wearing women, and, as the numerous cases of female teachers losing their jobs or being refused a job suggest, the effect of the law is disproportionately felt by women," the organization writes.
The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) announced Wednesday it would proceed with legal action against Bill 21 and the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have also challenged Bill-21 in court.
