Bill 21 fight goes to Supreme Court
The Charter is not just a piece of paper that can be ripped apart and shred without consequences. Bill 21 is a discriminatory piece of legislation that should not escape judicial scrutiny. The National Council of Canadian Muslims and Canadian Civil Liberties Association have filed leave to appeal, with the Supreme Court asking the nation’s highest court to pass judgment on Bill 21, Quebec’s controversial religious symbols ban. Not with Santa Claus in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to deliberately discriminate against its own citizens for political gain. The legal government set the terrible precedent for any legislator in the country to take away the most sacred rights and freedoms of any group of Canadians based on their identity, simply because they think it’s popular, it’s popular or politically expedient. Passed in 2019, Bill 21 says public workers in positions of authority can’t wear religious symbols while on the job. This includes, but isn’t limited to, crucifixes, hijabs, turbines or the kippah. The bill was upheld by the Quebec Court of Appeals and passed using the notwithstanding clause to override charter protections to free expression and free religion. For for people who are religious, they should have to choose between their religious belief and their livelihood. Both of them are extremely important to them, so nobody should be. Should be forced to choose between these two things. Fatima Ahmed was in McGill Universities Education Program when the bill passed and though qualified to teach in Quebec, can’t work in public schools without violating her religious beliefs. Though Bill 21 face public protest, polling shows over half of Quebecers still support it. But law professor Eric Adams says the entire point of charter rights is to protect people when it may be unpopular. We don’t need the rights to protect popular things that governments do, We we need rights to stop governments from. Interfering with rights when it would be popular to interfere with those rights in Ottawa. Shao Lili City News.