Legault government to pass legislation to ban street prayers

Secularism will be on the legislative agenda of the next parliamentary session, as the Legault government will introduce a bill this fall to ban street prayers.

The information, first reported by the Journal de Québec, was confirmed by The Canadian Press.

“The increase in street prayers is a serious and sensitive issue in Quebec. Last December, our government expressed its unease with this increasingly prevalent phenomenon, especially in Montreal,” said the minister responsible for secularism, Jean-François Roberge, in a written statement sent to The Canadian Press.

According to a government source, there is “strong support from the CAQ caucus” for the measure.

The ban on street prayers will be one aspect of a bill whose broader objective is to strengthen secularism in Quebec.

Last December, Premier François Legault raised the possibility of banning street prayers.

“Seeing people kneeling in the street praying, I think we have to ask ourselves the question. I don’t think it’s something we should be seeing,” he said at the time.

In March, the government mandated a committee to make recommendations to strengthen secularism. However, the committee’s report, released this week, suggests that municipalities should instead adopt policies to regulate this practice.

“The Premier of Quebec gave me the mandate to strengthen secularism, and I firmly intend to fulfill this mandate diligently. Thanks to the discussions held in caucus and the committee’s report, our reflections on several aspects of secularism are well advanced,” added Minister Roberge.

‘Undermine Quebec’s social cohesion’

The Canadian Muslim Forum expressed “deep concern” for the proposed legislation, calling street prayers “freedom of expression” guaranteed by the Quebec and Canadian Charters.

“A blanket ban would stigmatize communities, fuel exclusion, and undermine Quebec’s social cohesion,” the CMF wrote in a statement.

“At a time when Quebecers are struggling with a health care system, SAAQclic fiasco skyrocketing housing costs, and rising living expenses, the CAQ government should be focused on solving real problems, not policing the fundamental rights of its citizens.”

Prayers are ‘creating tensions’: PQ leader

For his part, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also wants to ban street prayers, but wants to consult his members on the issue.

According to him, this is a “phenomenon that is growing and creating tensions,” referring to the prayers in front of Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.

“In light of what is happening in Europe, because these same dynamics in Europe have become even more prevalent, it is leading to social dynamics that I would not want for Quebec. I hope and I am working so that Quebec stands out for its level of social peace and understanding of living together that works,” he explained at a press briefing Thursday at the National Assembly.

“When we see tensions escalating, we don’t have to wait until the situation reaches a level that is difficult to manage.”

St-Pierre Plamondon’s “consultative referendum” will also serve to take the pulse of his activists on the “ban, for all primary school students, on conspicuous religious clothing and symbols” and the “ban on prayers in schools that receive state funding.”

–With files from La Presse Canadienne, translated by CityNews