Ottawa city council to discuss $100K contribution to legal challenge of Quebec’s Bill 21

Local city councillors are getting set to debate whether or not the City of Ottawa should provide funding toward a Supreme Court challenge of Quebec's Bill 21.

Gloucester-Southgate Councillor Diane Deans and Rideau-Rockcliffe Councillor Rawlson King will be putting forward a motion on Wednesday, January 26, calling for the city to contribute up to $100,000 toward the legal challenge of the Quebec law which prevents people in positions of authority, who work for the province, from wearing religious symbols.

As the Nation’s Capital, we must protect our racialized communities against discrimination & uphold our shared values of tolerance and diversity. Quebec’s Bill 21 infringes upon those rights. @rawlsonking & I will be asking Council for $100K towards the legal challenge of Bill 21 pic.twitter.com/QxMZOlc0UA

— Diane Deans (@dianedeans) January 14, 2022

The call to the city comes after the City of Brampton asked other municipalities to contribute financially toward the legal challenge.

“The federal government has provided no support to the court challenge around Bill 21, and the issues that go along with it,” Deans told CityNews Ottawa's The Rob Snow Show on Tuesday. 

Deans feels the fundamental issue with the bill is people shouldn't have to choose between their profession and their religious identity.

“They really need to have the money to have a court challenge,” Deans added.

Ottawa city council approved a motion in February of 2020, officially opposing Bill 21, and supporting, in principle, the constitutional challenge of the law.

Council is set to meet for the first time this year on Wednesday at 10 a.m.