National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) Launch Joint Challenge to Quebec Government's Ban on Prayers in Public Schools

The joint lawsuit addresses the prayer ban’s violation of personal and religious freedoms. This is an issue that has direct effects on the lives of children. The lawsuit includes a Quebec student plaintiff whose civil rights and religious freedoms are breached by the Quebec government’s Decree.

The plaintiff’s situation is representative of many students and kids in elementary and high schools in Quebec who are now not able to freely practice their faiths.

“In a secular democratic country, no government should be telling anybody, much less children, how to pray,” said NCCM CEO Stephen Brown. “Our children should not be contending with the state meddling in their spiritual lives. We cannot allow for the state to police our children in schools – a place where they should be learning and growing in a safe and supportive environment regardless of their religious background. This is why we will not stop until this directive is struck down.”

“Students have rights. They have the right to an education. They also have the right to religious freedom. These rights are guaranteed to all students equally,” said Harini Sivalingam, Director of Equality for the CCLA. “This Directive prevents students from exercising their rights.”

Banning prayers at public schools enables the policing of children. According to the Decree, teachers and administrative staff will be tasked with monitoring how children carry out a basic human and Charter right, the right to practice one’s faith. This transforms schools and classrooms from places of safety and learning into places of conflict and discrimination.

The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.

The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.