Manitoba will intervene if Supreme Court hears battle over Quebec secularism law

The Manitoba government says it will join a battle over Quebec's law on religious symbols if it goes to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The case is currently before the Quebec Court of Appeal, and Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen says he is fairly certain it will end up in the country's highest court.

He says Manitoba opposes the law, known as Bill 21, which bans public sector workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols on the job.

Goertzen says a high court ruling would set a precedent across the country on religious freedom, and he has instructed his department to prepare to intervene.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti announced last month the federal government will join in the legal challenge.

In 2019, the Manitoba government took out newspaper and digital advertising in Quebec to welcome civil servants there to move to Manitoba if they felt threatened by the ban on religious symbols.