Quebec Proposes Expanded Ban on Religious Symbols in Schools

New legislation seeks to strengthen secularism by extending restrictions to all school staff and service providers.

The Quebec government has tabled new legislation to reinforce secularism in public schools, building on the existing Bill 21 law.
The proposed measures include expanding the ban on religious symbols to all school staff and mandating uncovered faces in schools.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville emphasized that religious accommodations have no place in Quebec schools.
The legislation follows investigations into over a dozen schools for alleged violations of secularism rules, including a toxic climate reported at Bedford Elementary in Montreal.
The government has invoked the notwithstanding clause to protect the bill from constitutional challenges, reflecting ongoing tensions between secularism and individual freedoms in Quebec.