Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard responded to the horrific murder of six men at a Quebec City mosque earlier this month with dignified introspection. His province, he said, like all societies, has to deal with its “demons” – and “these demons are named xenophobia, racism, exclusion.” Quebecers, Couillard continued, need “to recognize that and act together to show the direction we want our society to evolve.”
The premier spoke these welcome words alongside his chief political rival, Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée, who seemed to agree. Appropriately, Lisée took some personal responsibility by acknowledging that his suggestion last year that Muslim women wearing burkas might be concealing assault rifles might not have helped.
Increasingly we have seen politicians’ pandering to baseless fears and unjustified resentments feeding off and fueling a growing anti-Muslim sentiment. Couillard and Lisée’s cross-partisan acknowledgement that this is a particular problem in Quebec was welcome. Their recognition that what leaders say matters was a necessary self-reflection in the face of a tragic crime against the province’s Muslim people.
But what a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday, as the Quebec legislature resumed its business, the premier asked opposition parties to quickly approve Bill 62, a piece of legislation that, among other things, seeks to ensure public sector workers provide services – and citizens receive them – “with face uncovered.” The bill makes room for religious accommodations, but would give employers extraordinarily wide latitude to refuse.
Bill 62 is deeply problematic and should be withdrawn immediately. First, it’s not at all clear what problem it exists to address. The “religious neutrality” of public servants, which the law would purportedly protect, is already guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Given its redundancy, and the fact that its wording appears targeted specifically at Muslims, it’s hard to see the bill as anything but a cynical sop to nativist voters.
You might assume, then, that Lisée the Remorseful opposes the bill. You’d be right, but perhaps not for the reasons you think. The PQ argues that, as written, the bill is too accommodating.
In the days since the shooting, police forces in Quebec say they have seen a spike in reports of hate crimes. In Montreal, a man was arrested for vandalizing a mosque. In Quebec City, another man was arrested for allegedly threatening the lives of mayors who spoke out in solidarity with Muslims.
We can never isolate the precise causes of such acts, but Couillard was right when he said after the shooting that “words can be knives slashing at people’s consciousness.” The premier and the opposition leader left no doubt that they understand the responsibility that comes with power. That’s what makes their actions last week so disappointing.
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