Montreal (Quebec), Canada, July 19, 2019: A Quebec Superior Court justice has turned down a request to suspend parts of province’s new religious symbols of law. However, the court noted that the law raised ‘serious’ constitutional questions.
Also read: Canadian province bans religious symbols
The law, which was passed last month by Coalition Avenir Québec government, seeks to promote secularism within the province's civil service.
It bans public teachers, police officers, government lawyers and other public servants from wearing religious symbols at work. It also requires public services to be given without face coverings such as the niqab.
Two civil society groups — the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) — filed a motion challenging the law’s constitutional validity.