Statement on Bill 21 : An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State

The English Speaking Catholic Council (ESCC) was founded in 1981 with the mission to act as a catalyst, convener and facilitator of collective action for the English-speaking Catholic community of Quebec. As an organization inspired by Catholic social teaching, the Council is concerned for the common good and is apprehensive as to the implications of Bill 21 (An Act respecting the laicity of the State) for the social and civic welfare of Quebec society. In the main, the objections the Council have regarding the current legislation are similar to those we expressed in our 2013 brief on Bill 60 (Charter affirming the values of State secularism and religious neutrality and of equality between women and men, and providing a framework for accommodation requests)1 However, there are a number of critical differences between the 2013 legislation and that introduced in 2019.