Green Party telling its candidates to tread carefully on Bill 21

"We are kindly suggesting to our candidates that if they are uncomfortable talking about it or don't really have an opinion to say: 'I really don't want to comment on that question.' "

 August 23, 2019

The Green Party of Canada is asking its candidates to use caution when commenting on Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans the wearing of religious symbols by certain employees in the provincial public sector.

Officially, the party led by Elizabeth May opposes the law adopted by the Legault government, but the Green Party also acknowledges there are differences of opinion on the religious symbols ban, even within its own ranks.

Deputy party leader Daniel Green said the party is suggesting to its candidates in Quebec that it is better to say nothing at all on the issue if they don’t have a clear position on the law.

“We are kindly suggesting to our candidates that if they are uncomfortable talking about it or don’t really have an opinion to say: ‘I really don’t want to comment on that question,’ ” he said.

Asked about the issue on Wednesday, May reiterated her opposition to the Quebec law. “We are against it, that’s clear,” she said. “At the same time, I understand the situation in Quebec, which is different from elsewhere in Canada.”

While still with the NDP, Nantel criticized the “ostentatious religious symbols” worn by Jagmeet Singh, who now leads the party.

The Green Party caucus intends to adopt an official position on Bill 21 after the Oct. 21 federal election. In the meantime, it is recommending to its candidates that they do their homework on the law, which bans the wearing of religious symbols by public servants in positions of coercive authority, a definition that extends to several categories of public servant, including teachers.

The controversial law has been a thorny issue for most of the federal parties, with only the Bloc Québécois supporting it unconditionally.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has pledged never to introduce such legislation at the federal level and to protect individual rights. But Alain Rayes, Scheer’s Quebec lieutenant, has publicly supported the law.

NDP  leader Singh, an observant Sikh who wears a turban, said he respects Quebec’s jurisdiction to legislate on the issue, but doesn’t agree with governments telling people what to wear or how to look.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has opposed the law from the beginning, saying that in his opinion it is a violation of the Charter of Rights. The federal government has yet to decide whether it will challenge the Bill 21 before the courts.