A Canadian Bill Proposes Barring Public Employees from Wearing Head Scarves

adding the crucifix ban is a ridiculous fig leaf, as there's no obligation to wear an enormous crucifix in any Christian sect that I know of. whereas there is clearly an actual obligation to wear a kippah, headscarf, or turban. the bill is obviously targeted at Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs. if there were any special dress requirements for mainstream Christian groups, these bills would never have been proposed.

Weirdly, this bill would end up hurting Sikh men the most. And they are probably one of the most well integrated communities in Canada.

Title is a bit misleading. It's a provincial bill. It's like state law vs. federal law.

Other commenters have noted that this is a provincial rather than a federal bill, but it’s also worth adding context that this was a hot topic in Canada’s 2015 federal election. [1][2]<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;politics&#x2F;canada-election-2015-niqab-neil-macdonald-1.3246179" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;politics&#x2F;canada-election-2015-niqab-...</a> [2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parli.ca&#x2F;niqab-debate&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parli.ca&#x2F;niqab-debate&#x2F;</a>

This isn&#x27;t a &quot;Canadian&quot; bill, as much as a specific provincial government bill. It has already received condemnation from the leaders of every major Federal party which is probably the only thing they&#x27;ve agreed on in the last several years. Several public sector organizations such as the Montreal public school board have already stated that they will not enforce it.<p>So we&#x27;ll see what happens but the headline would be like saying some sort of insane law passed by a state is an &quot;American Law&quot;. The provincial government, voted in by ~38% of the population (thanks FPTP!) in a single province has proposed a law that will likely not be standing when the government changes in a few years time. This does not represent the views of a major or even significant minority of Canadians.

They should ask Her Majesty the Queen to remove the cross on her crown first.

This is a Quebec bill.<p>Would be like talking about an Illinois bill as an &quot;American bill&quot;.

I&#x27;m guessing burka ban bill got finally struck down, so Parti Québécois is at it again.<p>CBC source, no paywall, actually explains what&#x27;s in the bill -- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;canada&#x2F;montreal&#x2F;quebec-laicity-secularism-bill-1.5075547" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;canada&#x2F;montreal&#x2F;quebec-laicity-secul...</a><p>Also the party will invoke Notwithstanding clause, which basically overrides the courts ever considering it or concluding that this whole thing is totally unconstitutional.

As many other posters have noted this is a Quebec bill, and has (sadly) been a long time coming.<p>My personal opinion is that this is making a mountain out a molehill. And, I don’t think this is the right way to encourage integration (if anything, I suspect it’ll engender resentment, can’t prove it). I’m disappointed that the Quebec government pursued this.

The latest poll on this issue showed 64% of Quebec’s population backed the bill. One of the issue in Quebec is that the French (I’m French Canadian) are affraid of getting assimilated and fight toe and nails to keep their traditions which sometimes come off as racist. Quebec feels like it is the only important Canadian minority.

I’m ashamed that so many of my people support such a stupid bill. (I’m French Canadian)<p>As far as I’m concerned people can wear whatever they want: hallowe&#x27;en costumes, huge onesies with bunny ears, headscarves whatever...<p>Ironically, all the teachers at my grade school wore headscarves (nuns) and that’s not that long ago...

How about changing the bill so that men have to wear exactly the same thing that they force their women to wear? Or else no one gets to wear any religious symbols.<p>Because I think, subconsciously, that what makes me bananas about religious symbols is not the symbols themselves, but the gender-inequality with which they are applied.<p>Muslim coverings are a very thinly-disguised misogyny. Same with kippahs and the stuff they force nuns to wear.<p>I support very strongly people&#x27;s right to wear a symbol of any ridiculous, half-assed, imaginary bullshit that some shithead told them about and they believed on zero evidence.<p>But when it is a symbol of unequal treatment of women, of subjugation, of silent misery, it makes me angry to see it because it is not consistent with the equal rights that I associate with our country.<p>That, if only subconsciously, is where this is probably coming from.

Will there be religious exemptions to this?

Freedom is a state of mind, not a ban on head coverings.

While this is specific to Quebec, I think a lot of Canadians are blind to the Islamophobia that exists across the country. Looking at some of the comments by members of the UCP or some of Doug Fords pals, I don’t think Quebec is that out of step with other provinces.