Qubec Solidaire makes its opposition to secularism bill official

Qubec Solidaire members positioned the party firmly against the Coalition Avenir Qubec's secularism bill, voting on Saturday to adopt an official stance opposing any restrictions on wearing religious symbols in public.

"Qubec Solidairecan now be anorganization that defends the rights of everyone without compromise," party member Eve Torres said after the vote.

The secularism bill, tabled Thursday, would banpublic workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols.

In choosing this position,Qubec Solidaire is dropping its traditional support for the 2008 Bouchard-Taylor report, which suggested thatjudges, prosecutors, police officersand prison guards be barred from wearing religious symbols while on duty.

Not all party members in attendance were happy with the outcome of the vote, however.

Jean Trudelle,who was a candidatein theMille-lesriding in 2018, said that adopting "principles for the neutrality of the state" shouldn't automatically lead to social exclusion.

In his view, a person who is taking on a position of authority, a judge for example, must subscribe to certain rules, in the same way a police officer must put on a uniform to do his job.

"Clearly it's not a question of discrimination, we're not refusing anybody," he told CBC.

Moving away from Bouchard-Taylor

Earlier Saturday, Qubec Solidaire's co-spokesperson Manon Mass said the Legault government's secularism bill goes "too far."

"It wouldmake a lot ofpeople lose their jobs.Alot ofpeople wouldn't be able to change jobs without giving up theirrights,"Masssaid.

Bill 21 includes a grandfather clause to exempt public workers, such as teachers or school principals, from removing their religious symbols.

But that clause would no longerapply if, for example, a teacher was promoted to a higher position.

"You understand, when the rights of our fellow citizens are attacked, that upsets us," saidMass.

Twenty-nine-year-oldIsmael Seck, who ran in the Jeanne-ManceVigerriding last fall, supported the party's vote to oppose the government's bill.

"I think[thevote] gives a lot of hope to a lot of people," said Seck.

"There is still a lot of work to do to make sure that everyone feels they have their place in society."

Before the vote, Masssaid some members felt the Bouchard-Taylorrecommendations had"been chipped away over the years" and were no longer the way forward.

The provincial Bouchard-Taylor commission spent a year examining issues around reasonable accommodationof religious and cultural beliefs and practices over a decade ago.

One of the report's co-authors, Charles Taylor backed away from amain recommendation in 2017. The other co-author, Grard Bouchard, disagreed with him.