QUEBEC CITY — The man whose 2007 “code of conduct” kickstarted Quebec’s reasonable accommodation debate is now asking that Canada temporarily shut down all mosques.
Former Hérouxville councillor André Drouin said mosques are breeding grounds for radicalization and terrorism.
Tuesday, ministers in the Quebec government said they found Drouin’s suggestion preposterous and promised to table their own secularism bill.
Last Spring, Premier Philippe Couillard said he would table a bill rapidly to reaffirm principles of equality and state neutrality and create a special committee to study fundamentalism.
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“We’ve been here for six months, so let’s put things into perspective,” said the Justice Minister, Stéphanie Vallée.
“We are working on it.”
The pressure is intensifying on the Liberals after two Quebecers murdered two soldiers last week. Both killers were recent converts to Islam.
It was this fact that prompted Drouin to ask that mosques be temporarily shut down for three months.
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The Parti Quebecois’ public security critic said he believed Drouin had a point: Quebec could be doing more to fight religious extremism.
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“I do think an ex-member of parliament, Fatima Houda-Pepin, had a great idea about an observatory to understand the radicalism and fight those kinds of dangerous movements,” said Pascal Bérubé.
“So I think it’s a great idea that we should bring back.”
This debate is taking place as the National Assembly welcomed new citizens to Quebec. Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said she believes in inclusiveness.
READ MORE: Attackers ‘hijacked our religion,’ say Imams
“The first thing the Premier wanted to do was to exchange with the leaders and representatives from the Muslim community,” Weil said.
“But eventually, of course, the initiative will have to broaden to include experts from various horizons to come up with an action plan.”
It could be difficult to fund further “action plans.”
The Liberals are grappling with a $2-billion deficit and are in the process of cutting programs. However, the Premier is promising to make the fight against radicalization a priority and get personally involved upon his return from China.
Watch: Quebec premier unsurprised by radicalization
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