TALQ among group taking Bill 21 to Canada’s highest court

TALQ, a Montreal-based organization representing English-speaking Quebecers, appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada from March 23 to 26 to argue that the province’s secularism law violates the constitutional rights of English-speaking minority communities to manage their own schools, in a case that could reshape how far a provincial government can go in overriding the Charter rights of linguistic minorities.

The organization intervened in the appeal of Bill 21, a Quebec law passed in 2019 that prohibits many public sector workers, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs, kippahs, and crosses on the job. TALQ was represented by constitutional lawyer Julius Grey, who argued that the law infringes the collective rights of the English-speaking minority under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The organization maintained that section 23 protects more than language, and that Bill 21’s restrictions on school personnel undermine the cultural and religious diversity that defines English-speaking communities in Quebec.

“Section 23 is central to the survival and flourishing of minority-language communities, and it safeguards their autonomy,” said TALQ President Eva Ludvig. “Any measure that limits the ability of these communities to manage their educational institutions, reflect their diversity, and transmit their culture must be subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny.”