Despite school opposition, minister confident in Bill 21
Jolin-Barrette ready to listen, but insists ban on religious symbols will become law
The province’s immigration minister is convinced Montreal school boards and other groups opposed to his new secularism legislation will come around to accepting and applying the new law in the long run. And he denies the bill in any way stomps on people’s rights or is racist. On the same day as various civil liberty and minority groups went on the offensive over Bill 21, Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was making the rounds of media outlets to sell the government’s legislation tabled Thursday in the National Assembly. While there was no indication he was wavering in his resolve to pass the bill, he struck a softer tone than he did during the recent immigration debate. He said he’s open to listening to people opposed and, if necessary, adjusting certain elements, but in the end it will become the law. He also responded to criticism. “The bill does not deny people their fundamental rights,” Jolin-Barrette told TVA Friday morning. “What we’re doing here is entrenching state secularism in our laws and in the Charter of Rights. “And secondly, we are banning religious symbols for certain persons in positions of authority. We have been talking about this for 10 years and we are delivering on our election campaign promise. “I think the Quebec population is behind the government. It’s clear people want us to move forward with secularism. I think the population agrees that police, judges, prison guards, teachers and directors of schools should not wear religious symbols.” He based his statement that the people are with the Coalition Avenir Québec on a new poll showing widespread support for the principles of Bill 21. And later, in a second interview on Radio-Canada, Jolin-Barrette was asked about threats from various school boards to simply not apply the law, which does not include sanctions of any kind. In response, Jolin-Barrette invited representatives of school board to come to soon-to-be-held legislative hearings on the bill and express their views as part of what he hopes will be a reasonable, rational debate. “I’m in a listening mode, but from the moment the parliament of Quebec will have voted for the bill, the law will apply,” he said. “We live in a society governed by the rule of law where laws are created by people elected to the National Assembly and once a law is adopted, it has to be applied by all public agencies, including school boards. “I’m convinced that by the end of the process, the English Montreal School Board will apply the secularism bill.” Later in the day, the Lester B. Pearson School Board issued a statement saying it too would not “adhere to, nor be the enforcer” of the secularism bill. The board’s commissioners and administration are opposed to the bill, which it said will encourage a “more divided province.” “Bill 21 is unnecessary, discriminatory and divisive,” chair Noel Burke said in a statement. “We are holders of the public trust and cannot support a law that is abhorrent to all we believe in.” By invoking the notwithstanding clause in the law, the board said the government is denying basic rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Meanwhile, representatives of the left-wing Québec solidaire party are gathering this weekend in Quebec City to decide their position on the symbols issue. Traditionally, QS has backed the 2008 Bouchard-Taylor view that only judges, prosecutors and police officers should not be allowed to wear symbols. But the issue has split the party. One of the authors of the Bouchard-Taylor report, philosopher Charles Taylor, recently changed his view on the symbols issue.