Quebec plans new law to ban religious symbols in daycare centres

The Quebec government is moving to prohibit the wearing of religious symbols in the province’s daycare centres, expanding its existing secularism policies in early childhood settings.

Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said there is broad public agreement that Quebec’s commitment to secular values should be reinforced. The decision follows recommendations made earlier this year by a provincial advisory committee that studied ways to strengthen secularism laws.

Quebec’s current legislation already restricts public employees in positions of authority, including teachers, police officers, and judges, from displaying religious symbols while at work. The proposed daycare ban would add early childhood educators and staff to that list, though existing employees would be protected by a grandfather clause allowing them to continue wearing such items.

The government has also introduced a separate bill to extend the religious symbols restriction to all public school personnel, while Roberge has pledged to move ahead with measures prohibiting prayer in public institutions.