An interesting piece of news passed our desktop recently.

According to various mainstream media newspapers and a video blogger, the Premier of Quebec’s “Minister for secularism” (how’s that?) has introduced Bill 9 in the Quebecois National Assembly (Parliament). The bill, entitled “Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity,” is supposed to encourage secularism in public life.

To do so, it would make praying in public a crime for which anyone in the Province of Quebec could be arrested, fined, and even imprisoned. Building on the 2019 law that bans teachers (and other public service employees) from wearing religious symbols, including crosses and crucifixes.

The blogger accurately describes the bill as an attack, a form of persecution, on religion in general, including Islam, Judaism, and virtually all versions of christianity. The bill was introduced as a government bill, meaning that it has the backing of the current majority party (81 of 124 seats), the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ). (Quebec using the British-style parliamentary system but has no upper house: no Senate or House of Lords or Legislative Council). The Lieutenant Governor, who represents the King, has no veto power. Thus the bill is fairly certain to pass and become law. Note this applies only to Quebec and not the other provinces and territories of the Dominion of Canada.

The “reason” for the bill is that several public prayer sessions by Muslims have caused traffic problems by blocking streets and pavements (sidewalks) in Quebecois cities.

Several readers have pointed us to Matthew 6:5-6 where Jesus tells his followers not to be “like the hypocrites” who “love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.” He says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father [God the Father] who is in secret.” (HCSB translation: the word “secret” may also be translated to English as “hidden.”)

Others point out that this is not an absolute, across the board, command to always pray in secret. It is the contrast that Jesus presents here: we are not to pray to God for the sake of being seen by others. That is, with humility and sincerity and to focus on the inner attitude of prayer. Clearly various christian groups believe differently regarding praying in public (and what defines “public” as well). But apparently the Quebec law would prohibit even silent prayer and a physical attitude common in prayer (kneeling, lifting hands, holding hands in a prayerful position, etc. This is a situation which echoes recent incidents in the UK where people have been arrested simply for having an appearance or attitude that demonstrated (or appeared to demonstrate) that they were praying in the wrong place. But other religions have express requirements to pray in public at the designated times and in the designated manner (for example, Muslims are to prostrate themselves in the direction of Mecca). And this law will make any “public place” the wrong place to pray.

Now, Americans may be stating that even Canadians have freedom of speech. Well, technically, freedom of expression is a “fundamental freedom” (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 2.) But as even Wikipedia points out, the Charter allows the government to enforce “reasonable” limits censoring free speech: it is not an “absolute right.”

(The limits must be justified in a free and democratic society. Of course, if 81 MNA vote for it, that is “democratic,” right? And they were voted into office in free elections, no?)

(And Quebec’s “national constitution’s” charter permits the same power to the provincial government. A power frequently used to protect the sanctity of the French language. This is an issue because Quebec is also working towards a new constitution. One that even the CBC (Canadian government propaganda provider) says could infringe on individual freedoms. In part, apparently by embedding “secularism” more strongly, (We here at TPOL are, of course, shocked at this.)

Clearly, the regime in Quebec feels more strongly about protecting various groups (atheists and Islamophobes, to name a few) than ensuring that all Canadians (and other visitors) have the liberties that regime is supposed to protect.

What can be done? Obviously, at least some Canadians will fight it in the courts. Don’t hold your breath about them winning, but it is possible. In the States, it would be almost certainly overturned, though it might require going all the way to the SCOTUS. But Canada, and especially Quebec, tend to copy the French distain for limited government and true personal freedoms. So what? As with Canada’s several failed attempts to eliminate private ownership of firearms, civil disobedience is a proven technique of undermining government edicts. No the “Occupy” type of showy resistance, but simply ignoring an unjust law. And supporting those who break it. As with the resistance to segregation in the States, it may take a while but can be won with only limited violence.

Think about these things.