Latest news with #secularism
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Quebec says Bill 21 opponents are trying to overturn established law
The Quebec government says legal opponents challenging its secularism law at the Supreme Court of Canada are merely rehashing old, failed arguments in an effort to overturn established legal precedent. On Tuesday, Quebec filed 100 pages of legal arguments to the Supreme Court ahead of a hearing in which it will defend Bill 21 in court for a third time. The province won two previous decisions in the lower courts in Quebec, which led to the current appeal at the Supreme Court. Quebec's Bill 21, enacted in 2019, bans public sector workers, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs on the job. The province's goal is to promote secularism in Quebec, but critics argue it is an attack on minority rights. Record number of groups to speak at Supreme Court case against Quebec secularism law Quebec has won two court battles for overriding Charter rights to implement its secularism law. Now the fight hits the Supreme Court The Bill 21 case represents a landmark hearing at the Supreme Court, where the country's top court will consider governments' ability to override the rights and freedoms of Canadians in detail for the first time in almost four decades. The provincial government used Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the notwithstanding clause, to shield the secularism law from constitutional challenges on the basis of freedom of religion and other rights. The province's Tuesday filing says opponents are trying to circumvent its proper use of Section 33. In French, the filing says such arguments are asking the Supreme Court 'to amend established law.' Quebec further said its opponents are using legal arguments that have previously failed and that the challengers have not exposed errors in last year's Quebec Court of Appeal decision on Bill 21, which broadly upheld the provincial government's actions. The appeal court, Quebec said in its filing, 'conducted a detailed and meticulous analysis of all the arguments raised by the appellants and rightly dismissed them.' The key precedent is a 1988 case called Ford, where the Supreme Court considered Section 33 on a narrow legal basis but didn't delve in deeper questions about the notwithstanding clause. The Supreme Court at the time said the 'essential requirement' is for a government that uses Section 33 to name the Charter sections it aims to override. The basis of Quebec's Bill 21 argument is that the Ford decision is a precedent that should not be reconsidered. In Bill 21, Quebec stated it was using Section 33 to override the 10 sections of the Charter to which the notwithstanding clause can apply. But in the decades since Ford, and especially in recent years as more provincial governments have used Section 33 to shield laws, legal academics and others have argued there may be more for the top court to say about the notwithstanding clause. That includes whether it can be invoked pre-emptively, as Quebec did with Bill 21, or whether a court can declare rights have been violated even if a law is allowed to continue to operate because of Section 33. This week, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal said there is room for such judicial declarations. Last year, the Quebec appeal court came to the opposite conclusion. Six groups are appealing last year's Quebec Court of Appeal decision. They filed their legal arguments in mid-April. The appellants want the Supreme Court to overturn Bill 21. Among the arguments is a call to reconsider the 1988 Ford precedent. Further arguments include looking at other parts of the Charter, the Constitution, Canada's history and the limits of provincial powers to question the validity of Quebec's use of Section 33 in Bill 21. In Quebec's arguments filed Tuesday, the province said the Bill 21 case 'does not raise any new issues distinct from those considered in Ford.' Quebec then suggested that two of the appellants are effectively trying to rewrite Section 33 of the Charter 'to add conditions that are not found there.' A Bill 21 hearing has not been scheduled, but it could happen this winter. Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner has said it could be heard over three days. Most Supreme Court hearings take one day; rare cases occupy two days. The landmark Bill 21 case has attracted a record number of intervenors, as 38 outside groups will present written legal arguments to the court by mid-September. The federal government is also set to file its legal arguments at the same time, alongside six provincial attorneys-general, including Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Ottawa has previously expressed concern about provincial governments pre-emptively invoking Section 33.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montreal basilica did not chime bells to discourage praying Muslims
The premier of Quebec previously floated the idea of introducing a total ban on praying in public streets and parks -- including during protests -- as the government looks to strengthen secularism in the Canadian province. But claims that loud bells were intentionally rung to drown out a crowd participating in Muslim prayer in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal are false; the church's carillon chimes every hour and was not struck to dissuade the expression of faith. "In an attempt to intimidate Catholics, Muslims held a 'prayer service' in front of the Cathedral in Montreal. This was the Cathedral's response...," claims the caption of a July 24, 2025 Instagram video. In the clip, participants accompanied by a Palestinian flag kneel and rise in a public square as loud church bells silence most of the other noise in the footage. Different versions of the claim that the video shows the iconic Montreal basilica deliberately drowning out the Muslim prayer also spread on Facebook, X and TikTok. The proportion of Muslims in the Canadian population more than doubled from 2001-2021 (archived here), creating tensions over how to accommodate requests to pray during the school or work day. In December 2024, Quebec Premier François Legault said he wants to ban praying in public, commenting that he wanted to send a "message to Islamists." The Canadian Muslim Forum said the threatened ban "unfairly targets Quebecers, especially those of Muslim faith, based solely on their backgrounds" (archived here). Some rabbis criticized the proposal, while Catholic bishops in the province panned the move to restrict public expression of faith in a letter saying "praying is not dangerous" (archived here and here). The posts claiming the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal deliberately rang its bells to put a stop to the Muslim prayer in front of its establishment are inaccurate. A basilica spokesman told AFP the demonstration did not trigger the striking of the bells, which he said automatically chime every hour on the hour. "The basilica is not involved in these gatherings, which are a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression in an emblematic public space of Montreal," the spokesman said in a July 29 email. The Canadian Press reported one of the earliest versions of the clip uploaded to social media claimed the footage was taken on June 8 at around 6 pm (2200 GMT). Six o'clock is the final hour the bells are struck each day, ending the schedule with a more complex flurry of rings, according to the basilica's website (archived here). Rather than a consistent chiming, the bells heard in the video circulating on social media are more frenetic. The Canadian Press fact-check also noted a protest advertised by the advocacy group Montreal4Palestine took place on June 8 within walking distance of the church (archived here and here). AFP reached out to the organization for a comment but did not receive a response. AFP previously fact-checked claims misrepresenting Muslim beliefs and engagement with pro-Palestinian advocacy in Canada. July 30, 2025 This story was refiled for a technical reason.
The National
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Le Pen granddaughter to face trial over accusing school operator of Muslim Brotherhood affiliation
French far-right MEP Marion Marechal is set to face trial in September over claims she falsely accused an association that runs a private Muslim school of links to the Muslim Brotherhood. While the Muslim Brotherhood is not outlawed in France, authorities view the movement as promoting values, particularly through educational institutions, that conflict with France's strict secularism, or laicite - a foundation principle of the republic. In 2023, Ms Marechal publicly alleged that the school operator, Values and Success, was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, describing the group as sharing goals with Al Qaeda and ISIS, according to a legal document reviewed by AFP. Ms Marechal, grand-daughter of French far-right political figure Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died in January, is a prominent voice in the nation's politics. She is the niece of three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. The association at the centre of the controversy runs a small private school in the south-eastern city of Valence, teaching about 40 pupils. As a non-contract institution, the school is not bound by the national curriculum and can set its own education programme. Values and Success filed a defamation lawsuit against Ms Marechal early last year. The group has been under scrutiny since 2022, when it attempted to buy land from the local municipality. French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published an article linking the association to the Muslim Brotherhood, a claim that triggered public outcry. The land sale, initially approved by the city council, was ultimately blocked after intervention by the local prefecture, which has administrative authority at departmental level. Following the article, Values and Success sued Charlie Hebdo for defamation but the magazine was acquitted on appeal. The court ruled that "the accusation of proximity between the school and the Muslim Brotherhood ... is a matter of free debate" and an "infinitely subjective value judgment", according to AFP. The court also noted the Muslim Brotherhood movement is not banned in France. In a Facebook page dated June 21, Values and Success complained of "facing unprecedented persecution". It said "the reasons given are arbitrary and profoundly unfair" but did not mention the Muslim Brotherhood.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- CTV News
Secularism in schools: Drainville tables amendments to strengthen his bill
Education Minister Bernard Drainville during question period on May 6, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissino) A home-schooled child will lose their services if they or their parent refuses to uncover their face in the presence of a representative of the school or school service centre (CSS). On Thursday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville tabled several amendments to strengthen his Bill 94 on secularism in schools. This piece of legislation extends the obligation to have one's face uncovered at all times to all public and private schools, whether subsidized or not, for both students and staff. It also imposes this obligation on children who are home-schooled and their parents when receiving any service from the SSC. On Thursday, Drainville indicated that he was adding a penalty: refusal by a student or parent to comply will result in the loss of services. For example, a child who requires the services of a remedial teacher would be deprived of them as long as they or their parent refuses to uncover their face completely, explained Drainville's office. As the detailed study of Bill 94 began on Thursday, Québec Solidaire MNA Sol Zanetti accused the CAQ government of 'dividing society.' 'This is a bill that promotes social exclusion,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 5, 2025.
Fox News
05-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
French report identifies Muslim Brotherhood threat as Ted Cruz seeks US terror designation for group
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his ministers to come up with responsive measures after a "government-commissioned" report determined that the Muslim Brotherhood poses a danger to "the fabric of society and republican institutions" in France. Though the French government stated it would not publish its full report, Reuters said it "accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of waging a covert campaign via local proxies to subvert France's secular values and institutions." That campaign is said to focus on local government, schools and mosques as a means to influence change on local and national levels, particularly regarding issues of gender equality and secularism. The report's claim that "the reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, highlights the risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions." Christopher Holton, senior analyst and director for state outreach at the Center for Security Policy, told Fox News Digital that the French internal security service report "came as a surprise," given that European intelligence agencies "have been in denial about the Islamization of Europe" for "a quarter-century or so." "The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential organizations in the entire Islamic world," Holton said. "This report acknowledges that, and that's something that no official government report in the West that I'm aware of has really acknowledged. "They don't conceal their philosophy. They don't conceal their plans. They're pretty transparent," Holton said of the Muslim Brotherhood, pointing to the final portion of the group's motto, which he said is "Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." There is less transparency, however, about various groups' affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the French intelligence report claims that the Muslims of France are the "national branch" of the Muslim Brotherhood. Politico reported the group called the accusations "unfounded." Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that "the Muslim Brotherhood's model is pretty similar across Europe." Because of its "mixture of open association and clandestine connections," Mendoza says, "it is difficult to know the exact degree of Muslim Brotherhood penetration." Mendoza says the Muslim Brotherhood today "is therefore a particular menace for European Muslim communities as it seeks to radicalize religious thought, and for European countries because it is interested in a separate identity for European Muslims within states." Mendoza said this is "part of the reason we are seeing increased sectarianization within European societies." The Muslim Brotherhood's presence in the U.S. is coming under increased scrutiny once again. Earlier this week Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., announced on X, "In the coming days, I will be circulating and re-introducing a modernized version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which I have been pushing for my entire Senate career." Cruz said that "the Muslim Brotherhood used the Biden administration to consolidate and deepen their influence, but the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security." In April, Jordan outlawed the group and in so doing joined several other countries where it was banned or restricted. Those countries, according to an Al Arabiya report, include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
