(CBC) For the second time this week, the Quebec government has been forced to distance itself from a supporter of its secularism bill who made incendiary remarks about Islam at a legislative hearing.
The bill proposes barring some civil servants — including public teachers, police officers and crown lawyers — from wearing religious symbols.
It has drawn widespread criticism from legal experts who say it violates religious freedom and discriminates against Muslim women who wear the hijab. Opponents have also warned it risks fuelling intolerance in the province.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government, which has a majority, is using the six days of hearings to build broader support for Bill 21, trying to speed its passage through the National Assembly.
