QuickQuotes on Quebec’s religious neurality law

MONTREAL — The Quebec national assembly passed a religious neutrality bill Wednesday that will oblige citizens to uncover their faces while giving and receiving state services. Some quotes on the law:

“The principle to which I think a vast majority of Canadians by the way, not only Quebecers, would agree upon is that public services should be given and received with an open face. I speak to you, you speak to me. I see your face. You see mine. As simple as that.” — Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.

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“We respect people’s right to express their religious beliefs and we disagree with the law Quebec has brought in and we will never introduce such a law in Ontario.” — Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi.

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“This is imposing on women a certain way of dressing or not dressing and I find that is against their rights.” Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes, who is from Quebec.

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“Listen, as an elected official from Quebec, as a Quebec woman and also as a feminist, I will never tell another woman how to dress.” — Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier.

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“Personally, I am against Bill 62 for different reasons. I think it goes way too far. I think it is legitimate to ask people to identify themselves when it comes to security issues but in the other cases there are rights and freedoms and it’s our job to protect those.” — Conservative MP Alain Rayes.

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“I think fundamentally, we can’t have the state tell people what to wear, what not to wear. And that, particularly when it’s applied in the way that will disproportionately impact some people.” — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

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“The niqab, nurka has no place — not even on the bus. It is not a religious sign. It’s a political symbol of the enslavement and de-empowerment of women that is supported by the most repressive regimes on the planet.” — Andre Lamoureux, political scientist and spokesman for a Quebec movement for secularism.

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“We are disappointed by the passing of Quebec’s so-called religious neutrality bill. While the Sikh faith forbids the practice of veiling, we believe Muslim women have a right to wear the niqab.” — World Sikh Organization of Canada President Mukhbir Singh.

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“Individuals should be free to wear what they want and our government is committed to ensuring that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But we recognize a conversation took place in the national assembly in Quebec and they passed laws and that is their perogative to do so.” — Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

The Canadian Press