Montreal teachers vow to ignore 'stupid, wrongheaded' religious symbols ban

[Eugene]

Thread from last week: Quebec to ban public employees from wearing religious symbols

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Source: The Guardian

Montreal teachers vow to ignore 'stupid, wrongheaded' religious symbols ban

Quebec premier says proposed law is necessary to separate church and state but educators say they won’t be cowed

Martin Patriquin in Montreal
Fri 5 Apr 2019 10.00 BST Last modified on Fri 5 Apr 2019 15.35 BST

Montreal’s Westmount high school last made headlines as the alma mater of the US senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

It now has another distinction: the first Quebec school to publicly commit to ignoring the province’s proposed secularism law, which would ban primary and secondary school teachers, among certain other provincial government employees, from wearing religious symbols.

Teachers, students and parents recently gathered on the school steps in protest against Bill 21, which the government introduced in Quebec’s national assembly last week. As well as teachers, all employees in positions of authority – including judges, public prosecutors, prison guards, police and liquor inspectors – will be prohibited from wearing religious symbols, including the Star of David, the cross or the hijab.

“It would change the culture at the school. I tell my students that they can do anything if they try. Now I’d have to tell some students that they can’t do everything that everyone else can do,” said Arielle Shiller, 28, a physical education teacher at the school.

At the protest, Shiller wore a Star of David necklace and a kippa. “I’m not going to change, and I don’t think my work will make me,” she said.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/05/montreal-teachers-quebec-religious-symbols-ban

[guillaumeb]

1. Laicite can easily become oppression.

The intent of this law, in my view, is to oppress theists in the name of official secularism.

And, in my view, it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982. Here are some protections that the Charter guarantees:
freedom of religion, of thought, of expression, of the press and of peaceful assembly
the right to participate in political activities and the right to a democratic government
the freedom to move around and live within Canada, and to leave Canada
legal rights such as the right to life, liberty and security
equality rights
language rights

https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Education/ourcountryourparliament/html_booklet/canadian-charter-rights-and-freedoms-e.html

One hopes that the Supreme Court will strike it down.