Jewish groups in Quebec have issued a new statements expressing their opposition to the government’s proposed “values charter,” which would ban religious headgear and other “conspicuous” religious symbols for public-sector employees, according to the Canadian Jewish News.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B’nai Brith Canada say the prohibition contravenes the established government human rights protections, such as the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the News said.
“It is unacceptable and will only serve to inflame civil discourse,” said the CJIA, according to the News. The proposed legislation is “discriminatory, arbitrary, provocative and will sow the seeds of division that the government claims it wishes to avoid.”
The charter’s stated aims, the News said, are to protect the secular and gender-neutral nature of public institutions.
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