iPolitics
By Kevin Dougherty. Published on Apr 20, 2021 5:42pm
English schools in Quebec do not have to conform with Quebec’s law on secularism banning teachers from wearing religious signs, such as the Islamic hijab or the Jewish kippah, the Quebec Superior Court ruled on Tuesday.
In a 240-page decision, Justice Marc-André Blanchard ruled that Article 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guaranteeing minority language rights, also guarantees the cultural rights of Quebec’s English community.
That means English schools can hire teachers who wear religious signs to reflect the diversity of students in Quebec’s English schools.
Blanchard based his ruling on a 1988 Supreme Court of Canada decision overruling a French-only requirement on business signs in Quebec and Article 23, which cannot be overridden by the notwithstanding clause.