In 2019, the Quebec National Assembly passed Bill 21. It prohibits,
among other things, certain state employees in positions of authority
(including teachers, prison guards, police officers, and justices of
the peace) from wearing religious symbols when providing public
services. Most political commentators in English Canada denounced the
move as running counter to Canadian multiculturalism and human rights.
Why did the government adopt this particular form of state secularism?
And why did it garner public support? The Challenges of a Secular
Quebec provides illuminating answers to these questions, exploring why
many Quebecers consider the law legitimate. Contributors analyze the
statute from different angles to provide a nuanced, respectful
discussion of its intentions and principles. They open up debates on
state religious neutrality, examine how political and social actors
understand the concept, and trace the ways in which the issue has
inserted itself into the Quebec social space. Given the province’s
singular history in North America, the merits of the initiative to
separate church and state must be considered within the Quebec
context. The Challenges of a Secular Quebec calls for a legal
interpretation of Bill 21 that is sensitive to this difference.
Les mer
Bill 21 in Perspective
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780774868457
Publisert
2023
Utgiver
University of British Columbia Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter