Fourteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Classified as “An Act respecting the laicity of the State,” Bill 21 was passed in early 2019 in Quebec to reinforce its stance on secularization held at the provincial level. Attempts to call Quebec’s legislative intentions into question during the recent federal election resulted in an embarrassing scenario for the federal candidates, all the while religious minorities continue to suffer under the once-unthinkable Bill 21. In this study, I explore how the Provincial Government of Quebec defines “religion” and “the religious,” while also analyzing how Bill 21 tries to limit the practice of religion in the province under the guise of a “secular state.” Furthermore, by using an adapted version of Jolyon Baraka Thomas’ notion of the colonial construction of secularism as a methodological approach, I argue that Bill 21 constructs both secularism and religion to subjugate minority religions under the supposed separation between religion and state. Additionally, I briefly explore such issues surrounding Bill 21 being constructed as secular and its effect on religious minorities, particularly Muslims within Quebec.