Quebec government to ban religious symbols in daycares
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
QUÉBEC – The Quebec government says it will ban religious symbols for daycare workers in its latest bid to tighten secularism rules across the province.
Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said Thursday the government is acting in the best interests of children. “I think it’s important to provide a neutral environment for students,” he told reporters in Quebec City.
“We know that Quebecers are behind us on this,” he said.
In a social media statement, the minister said there is “broad consensus” in Quebec in favour of strengthening secularism.
The announcement makes good on a key recommendation from a nearly 300-page report published this summer by a committee tasked with advising the province on how to enhance secularism. That report set out 50 recommendations to combat what its authors saw as a growing presence of religion in some Quebec institutions.
Quebec’s 2019 secularism law, Bill 21, banned public sector workers in positions of authority, like teachers and judges, from wearing religious symbols on the job. Roberge said Thursday the government now wants to go further by extending the ban to government-subsidized daycare workers, a rule he said would be consistent with the spirit of Bill 21.
He said the new legislation will include a grandfather clause for people already employed in daycares.
Bill 21 is the subject of a landmark case before the Supreme Court of Canada, which will focus in part on the Quebec government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to shield the legislation from constitutional challenges.
Roberge would not say whether Quebec plans to invoke the notwithstanding clause again in this latest bill.
Separately, the government has already tabled legislation to extend the religious symbols ban to all public school staff. And in August, Roberge announced he would introduce a bill to ban prayer in public places.
Last month, Roberge voted in favour of a proposal to ban face coverings in public spaces at all times, which was passed by Coalition Avenir Québec members at a party convention in Gatineau, Que.
But he would not confirm on Thursday whether the government is planning to adopt that measure. “The discussion is ongoing,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.