MONTREAL — The Quebec Court of Appeal has ruled that the province’s secularism law, better known as Bill 21, is constitutional and has overturned a lower court ruling that exempted English school boards from the law.
In a decision today, the province’s highest court upholds much of a 2021 Quebec Superior Court ruling, which said the law’s use of the notwithstanding clause overrode infringements of fundamental rights.
The 2019 law declares the province is a secular state and includes a provision prohibiting public sector workers in positions of authority — including teachers, judges, and police officers — from wearing religious symbols on the job.
More coming.
The Canadian Press
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