It would be impossible to apply the Quebec government’s proposed ban on the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols by public employees in a university milieu, McGill says in its brief to the National Assembly commission studying Bill 60, also known as the proposed Charter of Values.
And if the legislation were to become law, it would hamper the University’s ability to attract top talent from abroad because it would send a powerful signal that Quebec is not an open and welcoming society, the brief says.
“For decades, McGill has made every effort to promote the integration of all cultures into our community,” the brief states. “The university believes that this is what makes it especially interesting to the students and professors it attracts and retains in Quebec. Our students are our raison d’être. They are adults. They expect the University to give them access not only to courses and subject matter, but also to an environment that brings them face to face with a reality that goes beyond the experience they have had until now, and helps them to develop their judgment and critical thinking. University is the first real experience many students have of openness to the world.”
Click to read the full article in The McGill Reporter
To read McGill’s brief in its entirety, click here.
To read the full JGH brief, click here.
Click here to view a thought-provoking video independently produced by Ari Grunzeweig of Imagination Creations on the Charter of Quebec Values that was recorded around the Jewish General Hospital.
Click here to read the join McGill Academic Health Network response to the proposed Charter of Values.
Click here to read the position statement of the McGill Nursing Undergraduate Society.
Click here to read the statement from the McGill Medical Students Society.
Click here to read an article in the Montreal Gazette about McGill residents’ opposition to the proposed Charter of Values.
Click here to read about the MUHC submission on Bill 60.