(CBC) After spending all day hearing from defenders of his secularism bill, Quebec Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was confronted Tuesday evening with a challenge from a wispy-haired, 87-year-old philosopher.
“We are still waiting for an explanation about why this is necessary,” Charles Taylor told Jolin-Barrette at legislative hearing in Quebec City.
If passed, the bill would bar Quebec civil servants in positions of authority — including public teachers, police officers and crown prosecutors — from wearing garments like the kippa or hijab while at work.
Just over a decade ago, Taylor and sociologist Gerard Bouchard co-authored a landmark government study into how best to accommodate religious minorities.
In response to Taylor’s challenge, Jolin-Barrette argued that large parts of his bill were inspired by the Bouchard-Taylor report.
