Burlington joins communities nationwide to condemn Quebec’s Bill 21 as discriminatory
Published January 18, 2022 at 3:43 pm
The City of Burlington has joined a growing chorus of voices speaking out against Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans public servants from wearing religious symbols.
Councillors voted unanimously to support the legal challenge against Bill 21 by the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the World Sikh Organization, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Quebec’s bill has drawn criticism that it denies human rights by doing things like banning headscarves for teachers.
Burlington’s motion calls the Bill discriminatory and has led to loss of employment and reassignment for workers in Quebec based on them wearing religious symbols. Among other Canadian municipalities condemning Bill 21 are Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Brampton.
Other major voices speaking out in opposition include the Ontario Big City Mayor’s Caucus (OBCM), who asked the Parliament of Canada (both government and opposition), to support the challenge of Bill 21 at the Supreme Court.
Unlike some other Canadian municipalities, however, Burlington stopped short of committing any taxpayers funds to the out-of-province fight.
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