Globe: Is Quebec’s secular charter constitutional? NO. Nine legal experts weigh in

Is Quebec’s secular charter constitutional? Nine legal experts weigh in - The Globe and Mail

Sean Fine, The Globe and Mail’s justice writer, asked nine distinguished lawyers to form an expert panel and give their opinions on the constitutionality of Quebec’s proposed prohibitions on religious clothing and symbols in public-sector workplaces. The panel was chosen for regional balance – to reflect the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada, including three members from Quebec. Two advocates from Quebec – law professor and former Bloc Québécois MP and Parti Québécois MNA Daniel Turp and human-rights lawyer Julius Grey – presented the arguments, for and against, and their arguments were distributed to the panel. The panel, drawn mostly from law schools across Canada, was resoundingly opposed to the new ‘charter of values’ by a count of 9-0 – though with an asterisk on one of the nine.

Shauna Van Praagh – No, it goes against both charters of rights

Hugo Cyr – No, Quebec hasn't proved its case

Sylvain Lussier – No, Quebec's justification isn't 'pressing'

Jamie Cameron – No, the breach of rights is flagrant

Nathalie Des Rosiers – No, with one exception about exceptions

Tsvi Kahana – No, it's a blatant case of rights violation

Kathleen Mahoney – No, it's an unjustifiable violation of rights

Stephen J. Toope – No, it would lead to absurdities of inequality

Jennifer Llewellyn – No, it violates freedom of religion protections

William Johnson: How Jack Layton [and the NDP] courted Bloc voters

http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/archives/story.html?id=5b16f378-6020-41ed-a215-1b97b7833f0f

The game-changer of the 2011 election campaign is the New Democratic Party's surge in Quebec while the Bloc Québécois declined.

None had predicted it. It took all by surprise. But was it an entirely unaccountable phenomenon? Hardly.

From the time he won the NDP leadership in 2003, Jack Layton manoeuvred to build his party in Quebec from the ground up by courting the nationalist clientele of the Bloc Québécois. His strategy followed that of Brian Mulroney when the Progressive Conservative party was defunct in la belle province. The Tory leader built support in Quebec by recruiting separatists like Marcel Masse and Lucien Bouchard, then launching nationalist messages like treating the 1982 patriation of the Constitution as an infamy.

Patriquin: Religious symbols ban for teachers would be cruel, absurd

The Quebec government's calls to school boards show a crass incomprehension of labour laws, as well as the province's human rights charter.

https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/patriquin-religious-symbols-ban-for-teachers-would-be-cruel-absurd

Last Friday, English Montreal School Board Director General Ann Marie Matheson received an odd request from Quebec’s education ministry. Did the EMSB keep statistics of just how many of its teachers and administration staff wore religious symbols? Matheson said the board doesn’t keep such statistics. The call lasted about 15 seconds.

Across town, a similar call was placed to the director general’s office of the CSDM, the largest French school board in the province. A similar answer was given: these statistics don’t exist.

These two calls are astonishing and troubling for a variety of reasons. François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government is in the process of writing a proposed law that would ban the wearing of religious symbols for those government workers with “coercive power,” a category into which the CAQ has awkwardly shoehorned teachers.

Gérard Bouchard says he's 'disappointed' by CAQ's proposed ban on religious symbols

Co-author of Bouchard-Taylor report says repeated efforts to act on recommendations have failed

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bouchard-reax-caq-ban-1.4878941?fbclid=IwAR1UQBCq5B33gq_oqoNyjvKQd81E8qy2ZoxKSArEA4VeCJqEt7Y08BEfHtA

Gérard Bouchard, the eminent sociologist who co-authored the 2008 report on the reasonable accommodation of cultural minorities in Quebec, has joined Charles Taylor in criticizing the CAQ government's proposed ban on religious symbols for some civil servants.

Last week, Taylor slammed the CAQ plan, calling it ignorant and dishonest.

Now Bouchard is also speaking out, saying Premier François Legault's plan caught him off guard ...

Globe editorial: How Jagmeet Singh’s leadership has diminished the NDP

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-globe-editorial-how-jagmeet-singhs-leadership-has-diminished-the-ndp/

Mr. Singh took the helm of his party the autumn before last in a blaze of viral YouTube videos and bespoke suits, inspiring dreams of an NDP Justin Trudeau.

His political assets were easy to rattle off: he was the first non-white person to head a federal party; he represented a riding in the Ontario provincial legislature that’s part of the suburban 905 area code, where federal elections are often decided; he spoke passionately, in both official languages, about first principles like fairness and equality; he was photogenic.

What NDP partisans overlooked – and what his time as leader has exposed – is the daunting list of qualifications for high office that Mr. Singh has not yet mastered.

Quebec won't pay for the promotion of federalism or separatism, Legault says

However, the CAQ government has ruled that Fête nationale activities taking place on St-Jean-Baptiste Day will continue to be eligible for funding allotted to Quebec's MNAs.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/local-funding-banned-for-canada-day-quebec-separation-events-report?fbclid=IwAR1Ob12hrMLwVCv76eZe2HWsT-afozI0iF8SzQIebig5ckJx1OsQdvncT_E

Premier François Legault said on Wednesday he has nothing against provincial funds being used to finance celebrations of Canada, he just doesn’t want them used to promote federalism.

“What we’re talking about is the promotion of federalism,” Legault told reporters. “I don’t think it’s up to the government of Quebec to finance activities promoting federalism. We can give grants to neighbourhood parties during Canada Day. What we want to avoid is getting into the promotion of federalism and Canada.”

Legault added however that the funding ban also extends to neighbourhood-level activities that promote Quebec sovereignty.

Judge [stays] Quebec [Bill 62] until province establishes rules for religious accommodation

http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/judge-strikes-down-section-of-quebec-law-that-bans-face-coverings

MONTREAL — A Quebec judge has temporarily stayed a key provision of the controversial law banning people from receiving or giving a public service with their face covered.

Superior Court Justice Babak Barin ruled today the article will be stayed until the province establishes rules under which people can apply for a religious accommodation to the legislation.

Bill 62 was passed in October and was criticized for targeting Muslim women because they are among the few people in society who wear face veils.

CCLA: Quebec [Anti-niqab] Bill 62 Infringes on Freedom of Religion

https://ccla.org/quebec-bill-62-infringes-on-freedom-of-religion/

CCLA has submitted a brief to the Quebec National Assembly’s Committee on Institutions as part of its special consultation and public hearings on Bill 62. Bill 62 — An Act to foster adherence to State religious neutrality and, in particular, to provide a framework for religious accommodation requests in certain bodies — is a deeply troubling law that would infringe basic rights and cannot be justified in a free and democratic society.

At the core of Bill 62 is section 9, which prohibits public employees and recipients of public services from wearing face coverings, such as the niqab, unless they receive special accommodation via a flawed religious accommodation process. We have argued that the bill unfairly targets individuals who wear religious face coverings and thereby infringes freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the right to be free from discrimination. We have also pointed out inconsistencies in the proposed law – such as its special protection for “the emblematic and toponymic elements of Québec’s cultural heritage, in particular its religious cultural heritage, that testify to its history” – which exacerbate the bill’s purpose or effect of unfairly targeting individuals from minority religious, ethnic, and racial groups and, in particular, women from these groups.

CCLA is urging the Quebec government not to move forward with the bill.

Montreal Gazette: Loss in Quebec Bill 99 constitutionality case is ultimately a win

Thursday's judgment changes nothing. Still, it provides a welcome reminder that a UDI in the absence of prior negotiations would be illegal.  
 
http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial

Keith Henderson may have lost his court challenge against Bill 99, but Justice Claude Dallaire’s nuanced decision Thursday in the long-running case ultimately leaves him a winner. It allows just about everyone else to declare victory, too. 

The law, enacted in 2000 by the Parti Québécois government of the day, asserted Quebecers’ right to determine their future. Underpinning Henderson’s challenge was the concern that certain articles might be used as a springboard to a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). 

Dallaire basically ruled that the law was constitutional because it does not serve as any such thing, nor was it intended to. Rather, she noted, it merely affirmed Quebec’s existing rights and jurisdictions in response to what was perceived as an encroachment by the federal Clarity Act; it was a political cry of “Maîtres chez nous.” As was made clear by the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1998 reference opinion, a referendum victory (with a clear majority and clear question) could be only a first step toward secession, and a UDI without prior negotiations with Quebec’s partners in Confederation on the terms of secession would be illegal. 

Quebecers support religious symbols ban, but are divided on how – or even whether – to enforce it

http://angusreid.org/quebec-bill-21-religious-symbols/?fbclid=IwAR0R3F3FbVm5c1mXuklITrEYOSzmvBsFTWjNxmgqpWWj-R9hSN7Nz1-TR7E

May 8, 2019 – With public hearings underway in Québec’s National Assembly on Bill 21 – the proposed law that would ban public employees in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols while on the job – Quebecers remain supportive of the proposed law but are largely unsure how such legislation could or should be enforced.

This, according to a new, national public opinion poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, which finds nearly two-thirds of Quebecers (64%) supporting the bill overall, though certain symbols are still considered more acceptable for public employees to wear than others.

Despite significant support for the proposed law, there is less consensus over how to enforce it. Equal numbers in Québec say firing public employees for failing to obey the law would be appropriate (43%) and inappropriate (43%).

Further, a small majority of Quebecers say fining violators of the proposed law would be appropriate (54% say it would be), but a wide majority (86%) agree that jail time would be an inappropriate punishment for a public employee who disobeys Bill 21.

Jedwab: A lack of understanding of laïcité isn't the problem

http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-a-lack-of-understanding-of-laicite-isnt-the-problem

Lise Ravary (“What laïcité is and what it is not” Opinion, April 13) contends that when it comes to the place of religion in society, Quebec prefers laïcité and integration while Canada (that is, the rest of Canada) opts for liberal tolerance leading to multiculturalism.

In fact, Canada’s model of multiculturalism does not reject integration, nor does Quebec reject liberal tolerance.

Rather, the Canadian approach to diversity does not require the abandonment of one’s customs and traditions in order for someone to be integrated into society. Hence it does not label as non-integrated a public school teacher who wears a kippah, a prison guard with a turban and and/or a police officer wearing a hijab.

Notes: NDP "Unity" Act v. Clarity Act

The NDP's Unity Act, a private member's bill drafted by the party, spells out that a bare majority of 50% plus one vote would be sufficient to trigger negotiations on Quebec’s secession, provided that the referendum question was clear and that there were no “determinative irregularities” in the vote and in the 'spending limits'.

The bill says that the Quebec National Assembly — by definition, directed by a Parti Québécois government — would have the right to table the question. 

The government of Canada would be able to object, but would have to take those objections to the Quebec Court of Appeal.

The Clarity Act, based on a reference to the Supreme Court of Canada,  specifies that the federal government will not negotiate secession unless a clear majority votes Yes on a clear referendum question. 

It does not specify what constitutes a clear majority, allowing parliamentarians to take into account the eligible voter turnout rate, valid votes cast in favour of separation, voting irregularities, and other factors, before concluding whether the result is sufficiently unambiguous to warrant divorce talks.

SOURCES:

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/ndp-unveils-new-slogan-change-thats-ready-in-dig-at-justin-trudeaus-inexperience

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/john-ivison-ndps-answer-to-clarity-act-is-flawed-but-right-about-50-plus-one-formula

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/chretien-blasts-ndp-for-its-stance-on-quebec-referendums

Globe editorial: Which side is the NDP on in Quebec?

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-which-side-is-the-ndp-on-in-quebec/article36589589/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com

The federal New Democratic Party has long played footsie with Quebec separatists, but recent statements by the new leader, Jagmeet Singh, suggest that the party has become more audacious in its advances.

The fluently bilingual Mr. Singh last week told reporters in Alma, Quebec, that, if a majority of Quebeckers voted to secede from Canada in a third referendum, he would "respect the decision of the people, without fail and without a doubt."

"[The right of self-determination] is so fundamental, and if people choose their future, I am completely in agreement with their decision," he said ...

29 JUN 18: CCLA & NCCM SUCCESSFULLY OBTAIN RENEWED STAY AGAINST QUEBEC’S BILL 62

https://ccla.org/ccla-nccm-successfully-obtain-renewed-stay-quebecs-bill-62/

(Ottawa – June 29, 2018) The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), two prominent civil liberties & advocacy organizations, have successfully obtained a further stay of section 10 of Quebec’s religious neutrality law, commonly known as Bill 62.

Last December, the Quebec Superior Court granted the CCLA and NCCM an interim stay until July 1, 2018, pending the Quebec government’s release of official guidelines governing how the restriction on face coverings when giving or receiving public services would work in practice, including the process for granting exemptions for religious reasons.

Following the release of the official guidelines in May, the CCLA and NCCM returned to court last week to argue that the guidelines were inadequate for preventing serious and irreparable harm to Muslim women who choose to veil their faces on the basis of their sincerely-held religious beliefs ...

Peggy Ann Sheppard case

After a ten-year legal saga,
a Quebec Superior Court ruling
has dismissed a $1.6-million suit
filed against McGill University
by a former
head of admissions,
Peggy Ann Sheppard.

Peggy Ann Sheppard
says that rejecting students was an unpleasant but necessary part of her job.

Ms. Sheppard,

who headed admissions at McGill University for 14 years,
said she routinely faced pressure to admit below-par students who had influential connections.

In a case that challenges the view that students get ahead on merit alone, Ms. Sheppard told Quebec Superior Court that she took heat from alumni, athletics officials and indirectly from politicians to admit students who did not make the grade.

In her 104-page ruling,
Justice Michèle Monast
stated that there was no evidence that
McGill acted inappropriately or in bad faith
at any time.

"We are pleased that justice has prevailed
and sincerely hope that this will put an end to what has been a very difficult matter for many people,"
said Jennifer Robinson, McGill Associate Vice-Principal (Communications).

Quebec's largest school board condemns religious symbols ban

CSDM hopes government will be open to compromise during consultations, which start next week

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-21-quebec-religious-symbols-ban-1.5112132?fbclid=IwAR0U9lM0mXD-IJqVnvU3li2jZjJ1Dz4ey2Q_7As3961Cl_dDkVfDsB7ZRwU

Quebec's largest school board has come out against the province's plan to ban teachers from wearing religious symbols in the classroom, saying it runs contrary to the school board's mission and would be difficult to enforce.

The Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) outlined its position in a detailed, 24-page brief that will be presented at next month's hearings on Bill 21.

The CSDM, however, stopped short of saying it won't comply with the rules if the law is passed unchanged.

Les libéraux déchirés autour du compromis Bouchard-Taylor | DENIS LESSARD | Politique

https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/201904/26/01-5223752-les-liberaux-dechires-autour-du-compromis-bouchard-taylor.php?fbclid=IwAR0XLFoMo_N_RV2diND8vdDFB8ooG5RyHXyu2MUjs-4mkek0B421fJa1X78

C'est fait : la ligne de fracture est apparue, clairement, au sein du caucus libéral. Deux camps se sont affrontés ouvertement : d'une part, les tenants du compromis proposé par la commission Bouchard-Taylor ; de l'autre, les partisans de la position traditionnelle du PLQ, le respect absolu des libertés fondamentales.

Le ton a monté rapidement à la « réunion de travail » qu'ont tenue les députés libéraux jeudi matin, à l'hôtel Alt de Montréal. Une série de sujets étaient à l'ordre du jour, mais la position du parti sur le projet de loi sur la laïcité, qui sera inscrit début mai au menu des travaux de l'Assemblée nationale, a monopolisé les discussions.

Pour la première fois, la probable candidate à la succession de Philippe Couillard, Dominique Anglade, a pris position sur cette question délicate - elle s'en était gardée jusqu'ici, même derrière les portes closes du caucus. Pour l'ex-ministre de l'Économie, le PLQ devrait adopter la position du compromis Bouchard-Taylor dans le débat sur la laïcité. Pas question pour autant d'approuver le projet de loi 21, qui propose d'ajouter les enseignants à la liste des employés de l'État qui n'ont pas le droit d'arborer de signes religieux.

Environ le tiers des députés - la plupart des 29 élus étaient présents - partageaient ce choix. Le ton « était respectueux, mais vigoureux, ces questions sont émotives », a confié un élu sous le couvert de l'anonymat.

Sébastien Proulx et Gaétan Barrette s'étaient déjà dits publiquement favorables à l'ouverture sur le compromis Bouchard-Taylor. La porte-parole du PLQ dans ce dossier, Hélène David, était dans le même camp, tout comme Isabelle Melançon, Saul Polo et Moncef Derraji. « Il y a un groupe qui pense que, si l'on doit terminer le débat sur le projet de loi 21, on ne peut rester sur notre position, ne pas être en conversation avec la majorité francophone du Québec », explique un élu.

Respect absolu

Dans l'autre camp, l'autre députée qui envisage de prendre part à la course à la direction du PLQ, Marwah Rizqy, est montée au créneau. Comme la majorité des députés, la députée de Saint-Laurent prône le respect absolu des libertés fondamentales - personne ne devrait être empêché d'afficher sa confession. Dans le même groupe, on retrouve Paule Robitaille, Lise Thériault, Marc Tanguay, Christine St-Pierre, Frantz Benjamin et Marise Gaudreault. Les anglophones Gregory Kelley et David Birbaum sont aussi favorables à ce que le PLQ garde la même position, tout comme Carlos Leitãao, toutefois plus ouvert à la discussion. Enrico Ciccone était absent, tout comme André Fortin.

M^mes Robitaille et St-Pierre ont confirmé être favorables à la position actuelle du PLQ dans le débat sur la laïcité, mais ont souligné que les délibérations des élus devaient rester confidentielles.

Devant le bras de fer, le chef du parti, Pierre Arcand, est resté neutre ; Filomena Rotiroti, comme présidente du caucus, n'a pas davantage pris position. À la blague, un élu libéral a comparé le caucus à « des colocs entre qui il y a une tension francophone-anglophone ».

L'un des défis du PLQ « est de rester connecté à la base francophone ; si on n'est pas capables de dialoguer avec les régions du Québec, cela ne fait pas des militants, des députés, un parti bien fort », de confier un autre élu.

Pas question pour le PLQ d'approuver le projet de loi de Simon Jolin-Barrette, mais il faut prévoir que l'opposition n'allongera pas la sauce, ne fera pas perdurer ce débat à l'Assemblée nationale.

Les libéraux souligneront que, de toute façon, le gouvernement avait annoncé qu'il allait utiliser le bâillon pour arracher de force, s'il le fallait, l'adoption de son projet de loi. Chez les députés, on convient que le PLQ n'a rien à gagner d'une longue et pénible agonie en public en adoptant une position qui n'emporte pas l'adhésion de la majorité francophone. « Le mot "filibuster" [faire de l'obstruction parlementaire] n'a même pas été prononcé », résume-t-on.