(CBN) – As Canadians rev up for elections in October, candidates are being asked to weigh in on a law passed in the province of Quebec that critics say will test whether Canada remains a truly free country. In June, Quebec, the mostly French-speaking province of Canada, passed a law banning the wearing of religious symbols for public sector employees. It’s called Bill 21, and according to the BBC, it bars civil servants in positions of “authority” from wearing religious symbols at work. That includes judges, police officers, teachers, and others from wearing religious clothing such as the kippah, turban, or hijab. It also
prohibits public workers from wearing symbols like crosses, crucifixes, Stars of David, and other representations of religious belief. The law applies only to new hires or those who change jobs within an organization. For proponents of Bill 21, it’s all about secularization and making sure religious practice is kept separate from the work of the state. Some warn these religious expressions are a type of proselytizing. Opponents charge the law flat-out legalizes discrimination, which some believe means targeting those who are most visible like Muslims. But others say it adversely affects all believers who reject a secularization that takes away individual rights of religion and conscience. READ MORE
