Quebec to ban religious attire in elementary schools
The new provincial government plans to prohibit items such as Sikh turbans and Muslim niqabs in primary education settings.
The newly elected government in Canada’s Quebec province intends to prohibit overt religious clothing, such as Muslim niqabs and Sikh turbans, in elementary schools, according to The Tribune.
The move is expected to have the greatest impact on Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish children.
The separatist Parti Québécois won the provincial election in October, with a ban on religious symbols in schools included in its election platform.
Quebec Education Minister Joël Arseneau told the Montreal Gazette that the government was working based on the platform it was elected on.
Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon defended the restrictions in September, stating that schools require children to follow rules and that most people would understand the removal of a religious symbol.
Anaïs Bussières McNicoll of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) criticised the proposal, saying the province has progressively expanded restrictions on religious expression.