(The Hill) – Quebec’s National Assembly on Sunday passed a measure that will bar public employees, including public school teachers, judges, police and government lawyers, from wearing religious symbols on the job, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The bill passed 73-35 despite arguments from opponents who claim the measure would disproportionately target Muslim women who wear the hijab. The government also added several amendments to the measure shortly before passage, including additional surveillance and enforcement mechanisms. Marc Tanguay, a member of the Liberal party
who voted against the bill, said it would create a “secularism police,” according to CBC. Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has argued the bill has majority support from the public. “I feel like saying finally. Finally, Quebecers have been heard and listened to. Finally, a government that had the courage to act,” he said ahead of the vote, according to the outlet. Sol Zanetti, a member of the Québec Solidaire party, argued that other polling indicates the bill’s support depends on how the questions are worded, with fewer respondents supporting it if they perceive it as potentially infringing on religious rights. READ MORE