(CBC) A week after tabling the legislation, opposition to the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s plan to ban certain public workers from wearing religious symbols is growing more organized — and more vitriolic. Politicians in Montreal’s west end at the federal, provincial and municipal level came […]
(CBC) The mayor of Montreal calls it “very concerning.” Religious groups say it’s discriminatory. And civil liberties groups have vowed to fight. But what legal options do these groups have in the face of the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s secularism bill, and what […]
(CBC) Civil rights activists in the National Capital Region say they will challenge Quebec’s secularism bill introduced Thursday by the Coalition Avenir Québec government. The legislation bans public workers from wearing religious symbols such as the kippa or hijab. This includes judges, crown prosecutors, teachers and principals, although the bill […]
(CBC) The Coalition Avenir Québec government is proposing a new law that would prohibit public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab, kippa or turban. The stated aim of the bill, titled, “An act respecting the laicity of […]
(CBC) As the Quebec government prepares to table its secularism bill, constitutional experts are raising concerns about Premier François Legault’s reported plans to pre-emptively invoke the notwithstanding clause to ensure public workers in positions of authority are banned from wearing religious symbols. Robert Leckey, dean of McGill […]
(CBC) Quebec public schools teachers and school principals will be prohibited from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab or kippa, under a bill likely to be tabled later this week in the provincial legislature. The long-awaited legislation from the Coaltion Avenir […]
(CBC) An ex-Muslim who is now an atheist and secular activist says Mount Royal University is overreacting by canceling his talk that was planned on campus for Thursday. Armin Navabi, who lives in British Columbia, was being brought in by the Atheist Society of Calgary to share […]
(CBC) A Conservative MP has cancelled an event with a keynote speaker accused of sympathizing with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the wake of mosque shootings in New Zealand which left at least 49 people dead. As CTV first reported, Conservative MPs Garnett Genuis and Kelly Block […]
(CBC) A Tecumseh restaurant is under fire on social media — but not for the quality of the food or customer service. Instead, the negative reviews are because only halal meat is offered. Tabouli by Eddy’s has been open for just a few […]
(CBC) Some Muslim women in Quebec City are hoping to demystify the hijab by talking openly about their reasons for putting on the religious garment. About a dozen people gathered Saturday in Quebec City to discuss the significance of the headscarf at an […]
(CBC) A Gatineau city councillor is apologizing for remarks she made last week about Islamophobia in Quebec, but maintains she’s been unfairly judged. In a French-language newspaper interview last week, Coun. Nathalie Lemieux said she didn’t believe Islamophobia exists in the province, and […]
(CBC) Quebec Premier François Legault has clarified his controversial comments about Islamophobia, now saying such discrimination exists but that it is not widespread. In a statement Friday, the premier’s office said Legault meant to say that there isn’t an “undercurrent” of Islamophobia in Quebec. “Quebecers are open […]
(CBC) The mayor of Gatineau, Que., wants one of his councillors out of her post as deputy mayor after she said Islamophobia doesn’t exist and said Muslim immigrants have failed to integrate into society. In the newspaper Le Droit, Gatineau Coun. Nathalie […]
(CBC) Premier François Legault says there’s no need for a day devoted to action against Islamophobia — because Islamophobia isn’t a problem in the province. Legault made the comments two days after the second anniversary of the Quebec City mosque attack, when the deputy premier, Geneviève Guilbault, said the […]
(CBC) The head of an Alberta organization for refugees is under fire after publicly suggesting 15 months ago that Muslim women should not fully cover their faces in public. Frank Bauer, executive director of the Red Deer-based Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) […]
(CBC) Quebec’s Education Ministry is trying to find out how many people its plan to ban teachers from wearing religious symbols will affect. The ministry has asked school boards whether they have a record of how many staff wear a religious symbol […]
(CBC) The city of Kingston, Ont., is still reeling after a young person was charged with terrorism-related offences following thousands of hours of investigation by multiple police agencies and raids on two homes. Here is what we know (and much of what […]
(CBC) Community leaders are working to calm fears and find ways to prevent an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant backlash in the wake of two arrests related to an alleged terrorist plot in Kingston, Ont. — yet the probe already has touched off a political […]
(CBC) The RCMP’s national security team has arrested and charged an Ontario youth with a terrorism-related offence, the police force said Friday following an investigation in Kingston, Ont. Police have laid two charges against the young person, who is accused of knowingly facilitating a […]
(CBC) The RCMP have arrested two people following raids on two homes in Kingston, Ont., in what officials are calling a national security investigation involving multiple police forces. CBC News has learned the arrests included a minor and involved both Kingston police and […]
(CBC) Western University’s Student Recreation Centre is offering women a segregated fitness and recreation space to ensure they feel “safe and included” accessing the gym on campus. The pilot project, which launches Tuesday, was initiated after some women shared concerns with the […]
(CBC) Zaib’s life began to unravel with an unexpected phone call from her husband in early 2018. He told her he had married a second wife, an announcement that took the Toronto woman by surprise. “I went into shock mode. I was […]
(CBC) Muslim women and children fleeing abuse could soon have access to a specialized shelter catering to their cultural and religious needs. While there are many organizations in Calgary offering services for Muslim women escaping domestic violence, there are no specialized shelters. […]
(CBC) A Quebec judge has failed in her bid to halt disciplinary proceedings against her after she refused to hear the case of a woman wearing a hijab. In February 2015, Quebec court Judge Eliana Marengo refused to hear a routine traffic […]
(CBC) At the Québec Solidaire national council this weekend in Montreal, two camps emerged on the issue of religious symbols: one of secularism and one of inclusion. While the party already supports the banning of religious symbols worn by police officers, judges, […]
(CBC) A man accused of misappropriating millions of dollars after his Shariah mortgage lending company went into receivership testified in his own defence in a Toronto courtroom, saying everything he’s done has always been “above board.” Omar Kalair, the former president and […]
(CBC) The head of a national Muslim group based in Ottawa says he’s not surprised to learn the number of hate crimes reported to police in Ontario and Quebec jumped dramatically last year. According to Statistics Canada, there was a 47 per […]
(CBC) Fatima Ahmad has been dreaming about becoming a teacher since she was a little girl. At age six, she wrote down the aspiration in her diary, along with two other options: doctor and artist. Ultimately, she chose teaching. “I love kids, […]
(CBC) Most Quebecers are in favour of banning public-sector workers from wearing religious symbols, according to a CROP poll released ahead of the first legislative session under a Coalition Avenir Québec government. But a separate survey by Vox Pop Labs, conducted following […]
(CBC) More young Muslims in Calgary are picking up brushes, pens, cameras and microphones, and creating their own arts scene. A new generation is expressing themselves while honouring their religion in many different ways, including everything from traditional Islamic patterns and geometric […]
(CBC) In the wake of a deadly attack on a U.S. synagogue, people of faith from across the Greater Toronto Area gathered at Jewish places of worship on Saturday in an act of defiant solidarity. More than 200 attendees from various religious […]
(CBC) The trial of two men accused of defrauding homeowners who had taken out “Shariah-compliant” mortgages heard Thursday from one of the mortgage holders, who admitted under defence cross-examination that he and his wife eventually got credited for their payments. Omar Kalair […]
(CBC) Quebec’s new government is planning to block Muslim women who work in the civil service from wearing the chador, a shawl-like piece of clothing that covers the head and body, and the niqab, which also covers the face. Coalition Avenir Québec […]
(CBC) The trial of two men charged with defrauding Muslim homeowners got underway in Toronto courtroom this week with the crown accusing the defendants of bilking their clients of millions of dollars. Omar Kalair and co-accused Yusuf Panchbhaya are standing trial in […]
(CBC) Philosopher Charles Taylor says the new CAQ government “doesn’t get the point” of the report he co-authored that’s been frequently cited by the CAQ as justification for its controversial plan to ban the wearing of religious symbols by some civil servants. […]
(CBC) Montreal-based Silk Road Institute recently made history when it staged the play The Domestic Crusaders as the inaugural production for its new sub-company the Silk Road Theatre Company. In doing so, it officially became Canada’s first professional theatre company dedicated to celebrating Muslim stories. Supported by […]
(CBC) After a week of controversy, Quebec’s incoming Coalition Avenir Québec government is opening the door a crack to compromise on its plan to ban some civil servants from wearing religious symbols. The CAQ said last week it would be prepared to fire teachers who refuse to […]
(CBC) The main reason Hamilton’s Muslim community will celebrate Islamic History Month this October, Dr. Raza Khan says, is to reduce any tensions there might be in the city between Muslims and non-Muslims. “Basically the purpose is to reduce tensions and address […]
(CBC) Newcomers to Quebec and their advocates say the premier-designate is taking the wrong approach to integrating immigrants, after François Legault said he will proceed next year with Coalition Avenir Québec’s plan to cut immigration levels by 20 per cent. At his first news conference as incoming premier, Legault confirmed […]
(CBC) Quebec’s premier-designate says he is prepared to invoke the notwithstanding clause to enforce a prohibition on any public employee from wearing a religious symbol such as a hijab or kippa in the workplace. François Legault would also move swiftly to reduce […]
(CBC) A brand-new Montreal theatre company, billed as “Canada’s first professional theatre company dedicated to celebrating Muslim stories,” is hoping to bring a diversity of voices to the stage. The Silk Road Theatre Company aims to provide a platform and a space […]
(CBC) Members of B.C.’s Syrian community say they are concerned the announcement of Ibrahim Ali’s murder charge for the death of Marrisa Shen — and Ali’s status as a former refugee — could lead to unwarranted backlash. Police on Monday announced that […]
(CBC) A Calgary United Conservative Party nomination candidate has apologized for three-year-old social media comments in which she compared Muslims in Fort McMurray to bank robbers. Cindy Ross, who is seeking the UCP nomination in Calgary-Fish Creek, apologized for now-deleted Facebook posts […]
(CBC) Conservative Sen. Denise Batters apologized to Liberal MP Omar Alghabra today for her choice of words in what some interpreted as a racist tweet. “My intent was to suggest Mr. Alghabra’s experience living in Saudi Arabia would give him unique insight about the difficult situation […]
(CBC) A husband-and-wife team are hosting a discussion Saturday aimed at exploring how gender shapes their experience as Muslims. The discussion, titled Being Muslim: The Gendered Experience, is part of the Vancouver Biennale — a bi-annual city-wide public art exhibition. The discussion will be a safe space for interested people to share […]
(CBC) A now-disqualified United Conservative Party candidate is defending racist and anti-Islam comments he made on social media that prompted his removal from the southern Alberta ballot. The posts, in which he calls the religion an “evil cult,” came to light only days before party […]
(CBC) When Katherine Bullock converted to Islam 24 years ago, the political science professor and mother of three teenage boys says she wouldn’t have believed it was possible. But now, she’s the first woman to lead one of Canada’s largest Muslim organizations […]
(CBC) Huma Mir is just one of thousands of Muslims from all over the world who are coming to Canada’s largest and longest-running Islamic convention. Mir came all the way from the U.K. to visit her cousins. She says she’s seen the […]
(CBC) Hamilton’s Catholic school board is changing the wording of its summer school dress code after years of saying no “head scarves” on its printed form. Duraid Al-Jailawi says his wife noticed the wording Wednesday when the form was handed to her […]
(CBC) The Quebec government’s new guidelines to help public bodies decide whether to grant religious accommodation requests are coming into effect today. However, the union representing 8,000 teachers at English-language school boards across the province says it needs more information about what […]
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