Trudeau opens door to federal intervention on face-covering law

OTTAWA Justin Trudeau has opened the door to federal intervention to challenge Quebec’s new law on religious neutrality, widely seen as targeting Muslim women who wear face veils.

Immediately after Quebec passed Bill 62 last week, the prime minister was hesitant to come out strongly against the legislation. He said the responsibility to challenge the law lay with citizens, not the federal government.

But he was considerably more forceful Wednesday, scoffing at the Quebec government’s attempts to clear up confusion about how the law will be applied and disclosing that the federal government is exploring its options for protecting the rights of women who cover their faces.

“I will always stand up for individual rights and I will always stand up for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we are looking very carefully at what tools we have and what steps we have to make sure we make this situation better for everyone,” Trudeau said.

Among the federal government’s options: it could wait for an individual to challenge the constitutionality of the law and then intervene in the court case or it could preempt a lengthy legal battle by referring the law to the Supreme Court for advice on its constitutionality.

The federal government could also help finance a court challenge through the court challenges program, which the Trudeau government reinstated to help fund individuals or groups who initiate cases involving charter rights and freedoms. However, decisions on which cases to fund are made by an independent third party, not the government.

In response to Trudeau’s stepped-up criticism, Quebec Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee said the province has the right to legislate on matters within its jurisdiction.

“Mr. Trudeau has the right to not share our opinion,” she told reporters in Quebec City. “And he has the right to have an opinion on the law. But I am not going to get into a debate in the media about that.