The Trudeau government's expressed intention to continue challenging the state secularism law in the Supreme Court is a “lack of respect” for Quebecers, according to Prime Minister François Legault.
Published at 3:50 p.m.
The leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec was invited to speak on the issue for the second day in a row, one day after the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the proposed law.
In a more than 300-page ruling, Quebec's highest court upheld the validity of Bill 21 and its ban on the wearing of religious symbols by certain public servants, as well as its extension to English-speaking school boards, which had already been exempted by the Supreme Court in an earlier decision.
However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly reiterated his opposition to the law. “If and when the problem occurs [se retrouvera] “At the Supreme Court, we will intervene as a federal government to protect and support the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said.
For Quebec Prime Minister François Legault, this is a “lack of respect” for Quebecers, among whom there is a “consensus” on the law.
“A majority of Quebecers agree with Bill 21 (a term often used to describe the law on state secularism), so it would be a lack of respect for the federal government to challenge Bill 21,” he said during a press scrum in Châteauguay on Friday.
Shortly after the Court of Appeal's ruling was published on Thursday, François Legault stressed that it was a “great victory for the nation of Quebec.” He then stated that he would continue to use the derogation clause until “Canada recognizes Quebec's decisions.”