When I think of Canada and Canadian values, the first two words that pop into my mind are multiculturalism and equality.
But recently, due to the Quebec government’s proposed Charter of Values, the values of multiculturalism and equality seem like an afterthought. This is problematic to our Canadian identity.
The Charter of Values proposes a ban on all visible religious symbols worn by any provincial government employee. That includes health practitioners, teachers, and law enforcement officers.
The purpose of the proposed bill is to entrench the concept of religious neutrality in Quebec as an attempt to create a secular society. Government employees would not be permitted to wear a hijab, turban, kippa, large crucifixes, or burqa.
The Charter of Values however, is not just about secularism, it’s about something much more disturbing.
I find it interesting that the word “values” is in the title of the proposal, especially because it doesn’t have much value in it. The proposal advances an ideology that counters what most Canadians live by and take pride in. The real values come from inclusion, respect, freedom, and equality. The consequences of the proposed charter will be division, inequality, and blatant disrespect.
Have we come so far only to take a huge leap backwards?
I can’t help but notice the government’s push on a hierarchy of religions. To say that small religious jewelry can be worn, but “overt and conspicuous” religious symbols cannot, creates a distinct divide among the Quebecers.
There is no smaller version of a hijab, so what are the Muslim women who work in the public sector supposed to do? Leave the province?
Have we come to the point in Canada—a place that is supposed to be accepting of all and treat everyone equally—where we are now forcing residents to leave the province if they wish to continue to openly express their faith through religious symbols?
This is a slap in the face to real Canadian values.
Ironically, among all the religious neutrality debate that’s been going on, it was decided that the crucifix above the Speaker’s chair in the National Assembly and the huge crucifix above Montreal’s Mount Royal, would be permitted to stay. This is based on the fact that it is part of Quebec’s tradition and history.
Pardon me, but is Section 2 A of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, which guarantees religious freedom, not a part of Canadian tradition and history?
I guess not all aspects of secularism are equal.
I’ve read many articles, heard many stories, and had my fair share of debates on this topic. One common theme that seems to come up is that although I am Muslim, I don’t wear the hijab, nor do I live in Quebec so this doesn’t directly affect me.
That’s correct. I am a Muslim woman, and no, I do not live in Quebec, nor do I wear a hijab, but I respect and applaud my fellow Muslim sisters who do. This issue does directly affect me as it should every other Canadian.
This isn’t an attack on only Muslim religious symbols, it’s an attack on everyone who follows any religious faith, or holds equality as a national value.
How does someone wearing a religious symbol, such as the hijab, harm any member of the Quebec society in any way? In what way does wearing a large cross, hijab, kippa, or turban inflict harm on another?
The answer is simple. It doesn’t.
Why push the Charter of Values if there is nothing “valuable” about it?
