The Quebec Court of Appeal, handcuffed by the provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, upheld a controversial secularism law that bans religious symbols from being worn by government employees, in a decision lauded by legal observers who endorse the so-called “parliamentary sovereignty clause” while bemoaned by others who deem it to be a “major retreat” from the fundamental principle of the rule of law.
secularism bill
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Quebec Superior Court upholds secularism bill exempts English-language schools
Quebec’s controversial secularism law that bans religious symbols from being worn by government employees was largely upheld by Quebec Superior Court thanks to the provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause even though it disproportionately harms women, and particularly Muslim women.
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Under fire Quebec appeal court rejects bid to suspend contested secularism bill
A divided Quebec Court of Appeal, grappling with a series of controversial complaints against its Chief Justice, has refused to stay sections of the province’s secularism bill even though it plainly acknowledges that the controversial ban on religious symbols is causing irreparable harm to some people.
The decision comes on the heels of a series of complaints lodged against Quebec Court of Appeal Chief Justice Nicole Duval Hesler before the Canadian Judicial Council over bias she has allegedly demonstrated against the province’s secularism law.
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