The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has made an about-face by providing a definition for “religious symbol” in its secularism bill.
Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has repeatedly refused to define what he meant by religious symbols, which is at the heart of the controversial Bill 21, despite pressure from the opposition.
READ MORE: UN experts ‘concerned,’ want answers about Quebec religious symbols bill
Jolin-Barrette tabled an amendment to the bill Tuesday evening in the National Assembly, which specifically seeks to outline what religious garb public-sector employees in positions of authority will be prohibited from wearing at work.
![Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/themes/shaw-globalnews/images/skyline/national.jpg)
Get daily National news
The wording of the amendment to Article 6 states, “any object, including a garment, a symbol, a jewel, an adornment, an accessory or a headdress” will be considered as a religious symbol, if it is worn “in connection with religious belief or belief “or “reasonably considered to refer to religious affiliation.”
WATCH BELOW: Growing concerns over Quebec’s religious symbols bill
![Click to play video: 'Growing concerns over Quebec’s religious symbols bill'](https://i0.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/679/722/2019-05-24T21-53-08.666Z--1280x720.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
The change makes no mention of the size of religious symbols. Under the proposed legislation, civil servants in positions of authority would be prohibited from wearing religious symbols of all sizes while at work.
— With files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise
- ‘A big green light to cut’: What to expect from the Bank of Canada this week
- Jasper National Park under wildfire threat. How far is it from safe zones?
- Plant-based milk recall: Class-action lawsuits filed over Listeria outbreak
- Kamala Harris’ Canada connection: Why her US presidential run makes ‘perfect sense’ for some
Comments