City councillors have approved a motion calling on Winnipeg to publicly oppose a controversial law in Quebec that bans public servants from wearing religious symbols, such as turbans, hijabs and crosses, at work.
Councillors Shawn Nason and Janice Lukes introduced the motion, which calls Bill 21 a “divisive law that perpetuates exclusion, discrimination, and class division by increasing systematic barriers to employment for religious groups.”
The motion passed unanimously.
Earlier this month, the president of the Manitoba Islamic Association joined the councillors in their call to have Winnipeg condemn the bill.
“We need to send a clear message that expressing your faith identity is not something that can be robbed from you. You don’t have to compromise to choose between a career and practicing your faith,” said Idris Elbakri.
Winnipeg is following the lead of Calgary. Its council passed a similar bill in early October.
There is also strong opposition to the bill, which passed in June and is facing a number of court challenges within Quebec.
Earlier this month, CTV News spoke with a Sikh teacher who moved to British Columbia so she could continue to teach while wearing a turban and said it was what she needed to do to avoid persecution.
Protests are planned in Montreal for this weekend, with organizers saying the goal is to “firmly denounce racism, as no one can deny it exists in Quebec.”
-With files from CTV News Winnipeg’s Danton Unger, CTV News Montreal’s Matthew Lapierre and CTVNews.ca’s Christy Somos
