Turbans, hijabs, kippas face restrictions in Quebec; identity debate heats up

MONTREAL – Quebec has launched its next debate on minority accommodation — and this one could make the erstwhile soccer-turban ban look like a leisurely stroll on the pitch.

The government is preparing to introduce long-awaited legislation that would restrict religious symbols in numerous places.

A media report today with leaked details of the Parti Quebecois government’s “Charter of Quebec Values” says the proposed policy will prohibit public employees from donning Sikh, Jewish and Muslim headwear in the workplace.

It appears the PQ hopes to cash in at the ballot box by championing a position on secularism that polls have suggested has considerable support in the province.

The fiery debate that erupted over a recent ban on wearing turbans on Quebec soccer fields offered a sneak-peek of the what could be in the political pipeline for the national assembly’s fall session.

The turban ban was eventually lifted by the Quebec Soccer Federation due to external pressure — but not before it made headlines around the world.

Inside Quebec, Premier Pauline Marois rushed to the defence of the soccer federation and fired back at its detractors whom she accused of Quebec-bashing.

The newspaper report published today says the PQ government is set to prevent employees in public institutions like schools and hospitals from wearing religious symbols such as turbans, niqabs, kippas, hijabs and highly visible crucifixes.

The approach is being roundly condemned by civil-rights experts. However, past polls suggest such policies enjoy broad public support in Quebec.

What’s less clear is how the policy will hold up in the long term, in two key arenas: the court system, and the ballot box.

The PQ has in the past bluntly stated that it would gladly fight a legal battle up to the Supreme Court over the issue — and would hope to use the issue to stir up support for its main cause of separating from Canada.

But before getting there, there’s no guarantee the minority government could get the policy through the legislature or win an election on it.

As popular as the PQ’s approach might be, other polls suggest that only a miniscule sliver of Quebec voters actually care about this as an election issue — and that what really drives the Quebec electorate are bread-and-butter issues like health care, education and the economy.