Quebec government to ban public prayer after viral videos show Muslims praying in large groups

The Francois Legault government in Quebec is preparing legislation that would prohibit prayer in public spaces. The move comes amid concerns over the growing trends of mass public prayers by Muslim communities, though the Quebec government denies any targeted discrimination. 

Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge announced Thursday that a bill will be introduced this fall to “strengthen secularism in Quebec, in particular by banning street prayers.” He said the measure follows a mandate from Premier François Legault to crack down on the issue.

“The proliferation of street prayer is a serious and sensitive issue,” Roberge said. “The premier of Quebec has given me the mandate to strengthen secularism, and I am determined to fulfil this mandate diligently.”

Premier Legault has previously suggested the government may invoke the notwithstanding clause, also known as Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It allows a provincial or federal government to pass a law that operates “notwithstanding” certain Charter rights if necessary. “Seeing people praying in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec,” he said in December. “When we want to pray, we go to a church, we go to a mosque, but not in public places. And yes, we will look at the means where we can act legally or otherwise.”

The Coalition Avenir Québec government has made secularism a central theme in recent months. It has already passed a law requiring new immigrants to embrace what it calls the province’s “common culture” and tabled legislation to broaden Quebec’s religious symbols ban to cover school support staff.

Images and videos of Muslims praying outdoors in Montreal last summer, including one widely shared clip outside Notre-Dame Basilica, helped fuel public debate.

The Canadian Muslim Forum condemned the proposed ban, calling public prayer a form of free expression. “At a time when Quebecers are struggling with a health-care system... skyrocketing housing costs and rising living expenses, the CAQ government should be focused on solving real problems, not policing the fundamental rights of its citizens,” the group said in a statement to the CBC.

The announcement comes as Legault’s party faces slipping poll numbers and successive byelection losses to the separatist Parti Québécois. The premier is also set to testify next week at a public inquiry into the mismanagement of SAAQclic, a digitization project that went more than $500 million over budget.