Charter would harm economy, chamber predicts

Talented graduates will be driven away

The proposed Charter of Quebec Values will harm the province’s economic development and create social tensions that will make it difficult to attract top talent from around the world, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec says.

“Global competition for private investment is fierce and an initiative like the charter would be poorly received worldwide,” the federation said in a strongly worded letter to Premier Pauline Marois last week.

The federation said businesses around the world are competing for young talent, and that new graduates would probably choose to live in a society that is “more open and more welcoming.”

“All the studies show that the living environment plays an important role in deciding where they settle,” says the letter, which was made public by the federation on Wednesday.

The values charter would bar all public-sector employees from wearing “ostentatious” religious symbols such as the hijab, the kippah and the turban during work hours.

However, the crucifix would be maintained in the National Assembly and city halls, along with Christmas trees.

The charter, if adopted, will also make it more difficult to recruit top researchers from around the world who are needed to work in Quebec universities, the letter says.

The federation said the charter would also make it more difficult for the government to recruit highlyeducated civil servants who may prefer to wear religious symbols.

“In a world without borders, a large mix of populations is inevitable and desired,” the letter said. “Far

“An initiative like the charter would be poorly received

worldwide.”

FéDéRATION DES CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE DU QUéBEC

from threatening our identity, this mix enriches our society in many ways.”

The federation was not the only group speaking out against the charter on Wednesday.

A coalition of 50 Muslim organizations held a news conference in Montreal to denounce the charter, saying it will restrict individuals’ freedom of belief and limit their employment opportunities.

“We should not differentiate between citizens based on religious or culture beliefs,” said Samer Majzoub, a spokesman for Quebec Muslims for Rights and Freedoms.

The group said it does not believe that having Quebec’s employees wear religious symbols affects the state’s neutrality.

Only about one per cent of public-sector workers wear religious symbols, Majzoub said.

“Being a Jewish Quebecer, or Sikh Quebecer, or a Muslim Quebecer does not make me any less of a Quebecer,” he said.