Der französische Premierminister zeigt während seines Kanada-Besuchs seine Unterstützung für Quebecs umstrittenes Säkularismusgesetz

PS

> “For us, secularism is above all a freedom,”

Bad translation. Laicism is not secularism. Laicism is a particularly French way of defining the relationship between the state and individual religious expression. Secularism is a much broader concept revolving around non-religious identity and law.

Moreover, laicism is about taking away religious freedom and civil rights and constraining the freedom of expression of religious minorities. It was used by France in it’s North African colonies to strip Muslims of their rights and led directly to the Algerians war.

Most important, remember that Bill 21 used the notwithstanding to abolish the following fundamental freedoms for religious minorities protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enforce laicity. Always remember that Quebeec’s Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, and in fact all Quebecers, no longer have these freedoms if Quebec’s authorities suspected them of violating Bill 21:

– Section 2: freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and of other media of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.
– Section 7: right to life, liberty, and security of the person.
– Section 8: freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
– Section 9: freedom from arbitrary detention or imprisonment.
– Section 10: right to legal counsel and the guarantee of habeas corpus.
– Section 11: rights in criminal and penal matters such as the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
– Section 12: right not to be subject to cruel and unusual punishment.
– Section 13: rights against self-incrimination.
– Section 14: rights against self-incrimination.
– Section 15: equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.