WSO Joins Challenge To Québec’s Racist Law Regarding Headwear

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This law, which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain public sector employees, primarily affects members of the Sikh, Muslim and Jewish communities by preventing them from accessing various legislative, executive, judicial and other public sector positions in Québec – including teaching and representing the State as lawyers or notaries.

MONTREAL – The World Sikh Organization of Canada and its Vice-President for Québec, Amrit Kaur, announced that they will be joining the legal challenge to Québec’s An Act respecting the laicity of the State.

By filing a declaration of intervention, the World Sikh Organization of Canada and Kaur seek to intervene as parties to the proceeding commenced by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, National Council of Canadian Muslims and Ichrak Nourel Hak.

This law, which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain public sector employees, primarily affects members of the Sikh, Muslim and Jewish communities by preventing them from accessing various legislative, executive, judicial and other public sector positions in Québec – including teaching and representing the State as lawyers or notaries.

According to Mukhbir Singh, President of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, “Québec’s *An Act respecting the laicity of the State* is deeply discriminatory and has an enormous impact on the Sikh community as well as others who wear religious symbols.  The World Sikh Organization of Canada will be joining the legal challenge to this law in order to uphold freedom of religion as an imperative right, both in Québec and across Canada.”

The World Sikh Organization of Canada and Kaur are represented by Léon Moubayed, Faiz Lalani and Sarah Gorguos from Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to the promotion of the interests of the Sikh diaspora, the protection of the fundamental rights of all individuals, and the elimination of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, and social and economic status.