Quebec creates committee to analyze and strengthen secularism law

Secularism Minister Jean-Francois Roberge sits with new committee heads Christiane Pelchat and Guillaume Rousseau who will analyze and make recommendations on how to strengthen the province's secularism law. (Matt Grillo / CTV News)

Quebec will now have a state secularism watchdog.

Secularism Minister Jean- François Roberge announced the creation of the committee on Monday. It is mandated to create guidelines for secularism and religious neutrality within state institutions and make recommendations on how to strengthen secularism in Quebec.

“Secularism is a fundamental value in Quebec,” said Roberge in a news release. “It is part of our history and is now part of our identity as a nation. Five years after the adoption of the Act respecting the secular nature of the State, the government wants to have a clear picture of its application in our institutions.”

The Act respecting the laicity of the State, formerly known as Bill 21, was passed in 2019 and makes it illegal for public servants in positions of authority, such as judges, teachers, and police officers, to wear religious symbols while at work.

That law followed the 2017 Bill 62, which banned face coverings for public sector employees, among other rules.

The Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear a legal challenge against Bill 21 by several groups, including the English Montreal School Board, the National Council for Canadian Muslims, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA).

In addition to creating guidelines and making recommendations, the committee will “document the phenomenon of infiltration of religious influences within institutions,” and analyze obstacles to effectively applying the law.

Last year, Premier François Legault asked Roberge and Education Minister Bernard Drainville to study ways of strengthening Bill 21.

Legault said he was particularly shocked by the religious excesses at the Bedford School in Montreal.

Lawyers Christiane Pelchat and Guillaume Rousseau will head the committee.

Pelchat is the former Council on the Status of Women president.

“I have been working on secularism as a vehicle for equality between women and men for 20 years now,” said Pelchat. “I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made and happy to be part of the continuing evolution.”

A report from the committee is expected by Aug. 20.

With files from The Canadian Press.