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On Wednesday, Jewish organizations in Canada reacted with dismay to a ruling by the Quebec Superior Court that for the most part upholds a bill banning the wearing of religious symbols by public sector employees.

“Bill 21: An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State” was passed by Quebec in 2019 and has generated controversy for its mandate banning the wearing of religious symbols in public spaces. Religious minorities such as Jews, Sikhs and Muslims have criticized the measure.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Marc-Andrew Blanchard upheld most of the provisions in Bill 21 that ban public employees, such as teachers and police officers, from displaying religious symbols while on the job. However, he did state that a number of its measures violate the rights of religious minorities, ruling that the bill is still constitutionally sound under the “notwithstanding clause” of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows parts of the charter to be overridden by provinces if they feel it is in their interests to do so.

"[Bill 21] brings about serious and negative consequences for all people who display religious symbols in public," he stated.

The justice’s ruling exempts English-language schools from enforcing the law due to their minority language education rights. Those rights, which appear under Section 23 of the Charter, cannot be overridden with the “notwithstanding clause.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a Jewish advocacy group, expressed its dismay for the ruling.

“CIJA is deeply disappointed by today’s Quebec Superior Court decision to uphold provisions of Bill 21 that severely restrict religious freedom and the ability of Jewish Quebecers and other faith-based communities to freely pursue careers in the public sector,” it said in a statement.

“It is our view that the government failed to make the case that Quebec’s secularity faces a threat that justifies invocation of the notwithstanding clause,” continued the CIJA.

The organization further vowed to, “continue to voice our community’s steadfast opposition to Bill 21.”

The World Jewish Congress echoed the CIJA’s sentiments, tweeting, “A court in the Canadian province of Quebec this week largely upheld Bill 21, a law which bars public sector employees from wearing religious symbols while at work. We echo our affiliate (CIJA)’s position in opposition to Bill 21 which restricts religious freedom.”