On June 16, 2019, the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 21 into law. Critics contend that the legislation interferes with the ability of individuals to practice their faith and places members of some faith communities in the untenable position of having to choose between their faith and employment.

Does Bill 21 promote equality or does it provide government sanction to discrimination? Does secularism require prohibiting individuals from wearing religious symbols or should the separation of church and state consider matters of greater substance? What will be gained as a result of Bill 21 and what will be lost? What does Bill 21 mean for Quebec, and for Canada.

What do you think? The CRRF invites you to share your opinion with our readers. We are accepting short op-ed length submissions (800 – 1500 words) that examine the content, implications and impact of Bill 21. Submissions will be edited for grammar and for length, and must conform with the mission of the CRRF, "to facilitate throughout Canada the development, sharing and application of knowledge and expertise in order to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.”

Articles published elsewhere may also be submitted so long as permissions have been received. We will accept articles written before or after the passing of Bill 21 (June 16, 2019).

The CRRF will share your opinions through social media and on our website here. We also invite academics and researchers to submit longer articles for inclusion in Directions, the CRRF’s online journal. The Call for Papers may be found here.

To submit or for further inquiries, please contact:

Sharon Pun

Research, Resource, and Records Librarian