‘It’s a law that is reasonable’: Legault on Bill 21 debate after teacher re-assigned

Quebec Premier François Legault reacted to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments that the federal government isn’t ruling out intervening to challenge Bill 21 that bans some public sector employees in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols while on the job.

This, after a third grade Quebec teacher was reassigned from her classroom because she wears a hijab.

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Legault saying Quebec is a nation and we have to respect the choices made democratically by that nation.

“First, we’re only talking about people that are in an authority position,” Legault said at a news conference Monday.

“Second, these people, if they don’t wear religious signs, either a Catholic one, a Jewish one, whatever the religious sign, if they don’t wear the sign when they work in an authority position, they can still work, and they can wear their religious sign on the street at home everywhere else. But if you’re in a position of authority we decided in Quebec that you cannot wear a religious sign.”

“When we look at Bill 21, it was supported by two parties, the CAQ and Parti Québécois, that represent more than half of Quebecers,” Legault continued. CityNews has translated his comments from French to English.

“Polls show a majority of Quebecers are for the law. It’s a law that is reasonable. We are talking about prohibiting religious symbols only for people in positions of authority. When we look at what’s being done in other countries, like France, it’s more of a reasonable, moderate law. It’s up to Quebecers to decide. I was happy to see in Justin Trudeau’s reaction to say that it’s up to Quebecers to debate about it.”

The premier also questioned, in French, whether we would we let a teacher teach wearing a t-shirt saying ‘I am for the liberal party of Canada’, adding that Bill 21 is a reasonable and moderate law.