With the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a challenge against Quebec’s controversial secularism law, Bill 21, Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland, alleged to be among the main players to replace Justin Trudeau, say they encourage the Prime Minister to follow his word so that the federal government is the federal government. intervene.
Ottawa “has a duty to defend the fundamental rights of all Canadians, guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is paramount,” said Marie Pascale DeSrosiers, deputy campaign manager for Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor. in a statement to CBC News.
“The Liberal Party of Canada is the party of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If fundamental rights are threatened, it is our duty to act,” he added.
Freeland’s campaign said in a statement that the former Finance Minister “supports the government’s decision to intervene. Respect for human rights and charter rights are at the heart of Chrystia’s campaign.”
Bill 21 prohibits certain public workers in positions of authority, such as judges, police officers, prison guards, and teachers, from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties, to promote secularism and the separation of church and state.
The legislation has considerable voting support in Quebec, a province that is key both to the Liberals’ political fortunes in the general election and to the prospects of who would lead the party next.
Bill 21 has also drawn criticism from religious groups such as Jews and Muslims who say it disproportionately impacts them by shutting them out from public life.
While Quebec Premier François Legault has promised to use the clause despite quashing arguments against the law that cite the Charter, under Trudeau, the federal government has promised to step in as an intervener.
“When it comes to national importance and there is a national conversation about the interpretation of charter rights that will impact the entire country, we are going to be there,” Justice Minister Arif Virani told reporters on Thursday. “And what we’re going to do when we’re there, we’re going to defend the charter that we helped create more than 40 years ago.”
Lower courts have upheld most of the law, passed in 2019 by the Avenir Québec coalition government, but on Thursday the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to it.
Time raises questions
With Trudeau expected to leave after March 9, once the Liberals elect a new leader who will also become Prime Minister, it is unclear how stable the federal government’s will might remain. Although many of his potential successors are striking a similar tone to him, they may well fall in a general election soon after the end of the Liberal leadership race.
Former Government House leader Karina Gould, also in the leadership race, told reporters Thursday that while she respects the jurisdiction of provinces and territories, “the role of the federal government is to defend the rights of all Canadians.”
She promised to “defend the rights of Canadians” if she becomes prime minister.
Montreal businessman Frank Baylis, another contender trying to replace Trudeau, clearly spoke out against Bill 21.
Baylis served as MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard from 2015 to 2019, and helps lead the activist group Non à la Loi 21 (No to Bill 21).
“I have helped organize protests and press conferences to express our solidarity with those affected by this discriminatory law. In addition, we have raised funds to cover legal costs,” Baylis said in a statement sent to CBC News.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday, Stephen Brown, president and CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said he would wait for political leaders to weigh in on what to do.
“It is the responsibility of any Canadian prime minister to do everything possible to stop, to prevent people from being able to unilaterally take away the rights and freedoms of Canadians,” he said.
