Record number of groups to speak at Supreme Court case against Quebec secularism law

A record number of groups have been given standing to present legal arguments at the Supreme Court of Canada as it hears a challenge to Quebec’s secularism law, a case that could reshape how governments across the country use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause.

At issue is Quebec’s Bill 21, a 2019 law that bans public-sector workers, including teachers and police, from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs or crosses at work. The Quebec government used Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the notwithstanding clause, to shield the law from legal challenges.