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<\/p>\nThe\u00a0Quebec\u00a0government says it is planning to ban prayer in public places as part of a move to strengthen secularism in the province.<\/p>\n
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The announcement makes good on a suggestion put forward in December by Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault, who said he didn\u2019t want to see people praying in public parks or on streets.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Secularism Minister Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge confirmed he will table legislation this fall to outlaw the practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rise of street prayers is a serious and sensitive issue in\u00a0Quebec,\u201d he said in a written statement. \u201cLast December, our government expressed its unease with this growing phenomenon, particularly in\u00a0Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roberge did not say whether the government would invoke the notwithstanding clause, which would allow the bill to override certain sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Last year, the premier said he was considering that possibility.<\/p>\n
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The move comes amid simmering tension in\u00a0Quebec\u00a0over Muslim prayers taking place as part of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica of\u00a0Montreal.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSeeing people on their knees in the streets, praying, I think we have to ask ourselves the question. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s something we should see,\u201d Legault said last year.<\/p>\n
In a statement Thursday, the Canadian Muslim Forum said it was deeply concerned by the news. \u201cA blanket ban would stigmatize communities, fuel exclusion, and undermine Quebec\u2019s social cohesion,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n
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The legislation would be one part of a larger push by the province\u2019s Coalition Avenir\u00a0Qu\u00e9bec\u00a0government to expand secularism rules, including by extending the province\u2019s workplace ban on religious symbols to all public school staff.<\/p>\n
It comes after an independent committee made 50 recommendations to the government earlier this week on how to strengthen secularism. In a nearly 300-page report, the committee suggested limiting religious accommodations and extending the religious symbols ban to daycare workers.<\/p>\n
The committee, headed by two lawyers, also looked at the question of public prayer, but stopped short of recommending a blanket ban. Instead, the report said it should be up to municipalities to regulate the practice.<\/p>\n
The authors said they tried to strike a balance between upholding Quebec\u2019s collective values and \u200b\u200b\u201dthe preservation of religious practices that do not unduly harm public order.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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