An association that represents 3,600 Quebec medical residents has come out against Bill 60, the proposed secularism charter that would ban the wearing of many religious symbols by provincial government employees.
The Quebec Federation of Medical Residents (FMRQ) issued a statement Wednesday opposing the ban on the wearing of ostentatious religious symbols, as spelled out in article 5 of the charter.
“The ban on the wearing of religious symbols, in addition to being a clearly discriminatory measure, could put some of our members in a difficult choice between continuing their careers in medicine in Quebec and the renunciation of the practice of their religious beliefs,” the group wrote.
The group also said that the restrictions are “too coercive” in banning the symbols which “do not detract from the quality of care.”
The residents' group repeatedly expresses agreement with the mission to apply principles of secularism to the healthcare workplace but they specifically disagree with the religious symbol ban.
The group represents residents working as part of their postgraduate medical training at McGill University as well as the Université de Montreal, Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke.
