Quebec not ruling out expanding religious symbol ban to daycare workers: minister

QUEBEC CITY — Quebec’s minister responsible for secularism says the government isn’t ruling out expanding its religious symbols ban to include daycare employees.

Jean-François Roberge says “everything is on the table” when it comes to strengthening secularism in the province, including extending the law known as Bill 21 to include more categories of public employees.

However, he said Wednesday the government will wait for the recommendations from a government-appointed committee studying the issue before making a final decision.

“We’ll let the committee work,” he said. “After that, we’ll see if we move forward with daycares like in schools.”

Currently, the workplace religious symbol ban applies to categories of public employees deemed to be in positions of authority, including teachers, judges and police officers.

Families Minister Suzanne Roy says that if the ban is extended to daycares, it should only apply to future hires in order to avoid staff shortages.

“We don’t want to create a disruption in services …. We already have a shortage of educators,” she told reporters. She said she doesn’t know how many employees wear religious symbols, such as hijabs or kippahs, that would not be allowed in the workplace if the ban is extended.

The government announced the committee earlier this year after a report into the toxic climate at a Montreal elementary school sparked concerns over religious practices infiltrating Quebec schools. The committee’s mandate is to deliver a report this summer recommending ways to strengthen secularism.

Roberge says the committee is also looking at ways of making other spaces more secular, including junior colleges, known as CEGEPS, and universities.

“Our CEGEPS, our universities are also public places,” he said.

The legislature is also studying a bill tabled by the province’s education minister that would extend the secularism law to all public school staff members, as well as those working under agreements with schools. That bill would include a clause to exclude current employees from its provisions.

Some groups who have spoken during the consultations have suggested the proposed changes don’t go far enough and have asked for junior colleges and daycares to be included in the law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.

Thomas Laberge, The Canadian Press