On Saturday, September 14th 2013, a protest was held in Montreal to express their opposition to the proposed Charter of Quebec Values. The protest was pan-religious and featured people of different religious backgrounds. Though the Quebec Charter will be officially debated in the Quebec National Assembly, many Quebecois and Canadians expressed already expressed their views to such a charter weeks in advance.

Though many Canadians have expressed their voices in opposing such a Charter, the political landscape is much different in Quebec. Unlike the rest of the nation, most Quebecois support such a Charter. Strangely enough, the division doesn’t just cut between Quebec & Canada. The mayors of Montreal and the boroughs have all unanimously expressed their opposition to the Charter. Montreal being the most diverse within the province, would be the most affected by the Charter as most of the minorities living in Quebec reside in the Montreal.

Many politicians have been scrambling and Canadian politics has taken a halt due to the issue the Charter is creating. Minister of Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau, and New Democratic Leader, Thomas Mulcair, have voiced their opinions denouncing Ms. Marois’s decision to ban religious garments in the public sector. The ban affects all government employees such as doctors, teachers, or day care workers.

Though there are supporters are prevalent, especially in the province of Quebec. The Public Sector Union, The Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ), applauds the government’s decision to ban religious clothing in the public sector. The SFPQ President,  Lucie Martineau, is quoted to have said, “We’re obliged to keep our political opinions to ourselves, we want that extended to our religious opinions.” The federal sister of the governing Parti Quebecois, the Bloc Quebecois, stated their support to their provincial counterpart. The Bloc Quebecois, only having 5 members in the House of Commons, just lost another seat due to conflict of ideas. Maria Mourani, was the first Member of Parliament of Lebanese descent, got ousted from the Bloc because she thought that the Charter of their sister party would impose tensions between Quebec’s minorities and the mainstream society. After her expulsion, she stated to begin questioning her role in the Quebec sovereigntist movement. She is quoted to have said to press,  “Whether they like it or not, they are discriminating against minorities. It has never been easy to convince people from ethno-cultural groups that the independence movement is inclusive. The signal here is not very encouraging,”

Regardless of the political conflict the Charter is causing on a Federal scale, it seems that down to the Provincial and Municipal scale, the voices are much more direct. The Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, Canada’s first Muslim mayor said publically his opinion on the proposed act. He is quoted to reporters having said, “What I’m saying today is look, whether or not you’re a person who wears a turban or a hijab, if you’re uncomfortable living in a society that says people who wear turbans or hijabs should be excluded from certain jobs, come here. We’re happy to have you.” Even British Columbia Premier, Christy Clark, said during a press conference that, ” we’ll find every opportunity that we can to make sure we welcome diversity here.”

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As the nation shows their furious or admiration to Ms Marois’s Charter of Quebec Values, some express the legality of such a Charter. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms of Canada states the religious, expression, and speech freedoms people have right to enjoy. Some critics of the Charter say that Ms Pauline Marois is merely creating a political distraction from the real problems happening in Quebec such as job creation, infrastructure improvements, and scandals within the construction industry and politicians. Others also would go so far to even say it’s part of a grander plan of alienating Quebec from the rest of a nation under a common cause. Polls suggest the sovereignty movement is declining and this could be a political stunt to create tensions between the province and the federal government.

The Charter of Quebec is undoubtedly a controversial issue in Canadian politics. Some see it as a rift with Canadian multiculturalism and what is acceptable in such a society. The public debate over the Charter continues to spread and sooner, one side will take action to the future of this proposed legislative schism.

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Like most immigrant Canadians would often say when moving to Canada, they come here for freedom. Freedoms that their native country just doesn’t have. Here in Canada they find new livelihoods and in most situations, often feel more Canadian than their cultural background. Just like most major Canadian cities, Montreal has become a symbol of immigration. A haven that attracts members of all four corners of the globe to express themselves in whatever way they desire. But these sentimental feelings may suddenly change if the proposed Charter of Quebec Values takes effect.

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The Charter would ban all public sector employees from wearing their religious garments during work hours. The ban though has an exception to Christian crosses that remain discreet and unnoticeable. This creates tensions between Quebec’s religious minorities and the government, because of feelings that the Charter purely targets minority religions. The Sikh turban, the Muslim hijab, and the Jewish kippah are just some of the few religious garments being banned by the proposed Charter.

The Parti Quebecois are accused by critics as introducing discriminatory and exclusive laws that could shatter Canadian diversity. The us vs them mentality is what opposers believe the Charter will enforce in Quebec society. Some say the government’s intentions in one sentence is to eradicate diversity in Quebec.  Quebec wants you here, as long as you stay completely invisible, is what some believe the Charter is saying. Some analysts foresee the alienation of religious minorities into religious enclaves.

The clothing that Sikhs, Muslims, and Jewish people wear is sacred. Some of which is obligatory to wear in certain religions. Others, something as a promise to themselves and to their God, which no one could take away from them. It’s clear that the Charter is playing along the lines of Identity Politics. Many of those who choose to continue to wear their religious clothings even if the Charter gets enacted, promise to continue to fight for their religious rights.

The problem with Quebec society is the growing paranoia of loss of the Quebec nation. Most Quebecois feel that their culture is constantly under threat from external forces. Being the one of the few francophone nations in America, surrounded by prominent anglophone societies, Quebec feels isolated and different from the rest of Canada and North America for that matter. Government action was enacted to preserve Quebec cultures. Most popularised being the Charter of the French Language, commonly known as Bill 101. Bill 101 is a controversial piece of Quebec politics as it preserves the French language with the ban and discouragement use of the English or non-French language.

Immigrants who don’t speak French nor English are called allophone within the Quebec society. This division between anglophones, francophones, and allophones create Quebec society by many outsiders as racist and exclusive. Now, with the new proposed Charter coming into way, many immigrants will continue to feel stronger alienation within Quebec society.

This Charter most notably bans all religious items in governmental and public institutions. Yet, what most Quebecois forget is the strong cultural influence religion gave Quebec. From the profanity to the names of streets, religion is something of daily lives. What really angers critics of the Charter is the Charter’s push for secularism yet it protects Quebec’s Catholic history. Muslim women who wear the hijab will be barred from their jobs, but the crucifix standing in the Blue Chamber of the Quebec National Assembly, stays due to being a cultural symbol rather than religious.

By those standards, then Quebec needs to realise that these garments, starting off as religious garments, turned into something enshrined in people’s cultures. The culture of those who call Canada home becomes part of the grander Canadian collective culture. A turban or a hijab holds religious value but is treated by their wearers as regular pieces of clothing.

Some analysts of the Charter agree that the main people the Charter targets aren’t those who practise religion, but those who practise the wrong religion. Christian crosses can be worn, just as long as they remain discrete. Many minority religious groups feel that by those standards, they are truly the people who are being personally attacked. Quebec’s Charter shows the xenophobia currently existing in Quebec society. The paranoia of the loss of the Quebec culture can create very oppressive steps to preserve such culture.

Quebec already currently bleeds immigrants to more westerly provinces, such as Ontario, BC, and Alberta. The current strict language laws already discourages the use of immigrant languages in the daily public. The public image of the province is constantly scrutinised by the media for being an assimilative culture. If such a Charter would be enacted, Quebec’s diversity will be held hostage to an oppressive governmental action.

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