A little over 24 hours after Quebec's new religious symbols law was passed, reactions from all over Canada and the world have been pouring in via social media, decrying the consequences of Bill 21. Many people are shocked, confused, and angry about the implications of Quebec's new law. Quebec Premier François Legault and his CAQ party have attempted to temper the flames but to no avail. Bill 21 is, according to most people, categorically racist, bigoted, and Islamophobic. Bill 21 states that most government and public officials from now on will not be allowed to wear visible religious symbols. Jewish teachers, for example, would not be allowed to wear a yarmulke. Officials who have already worn their symbols in the past will be exempt from the new law but the public worries that government watchdogs will crackdown on all offenders, no matter what. Publically, it seems that there is little support for Bill 21 in the rest of Canada. While many Quebeckers will say that the opinions of the rest of Canada don't affect Quebec, the potential damages of Bill 21 could be catastrophic for the province. View this post on Instagram Journée historique! Le projet de loi sur la laïcité est enfin adopté. Dorénavant, les signes religieux pour les employés de l’État en position d’autorité seront interdits. Nous avons écouté les Québécois, et nous avons enfin tourné la page sur un débat qui perdurait depuis plus de 10 ans. Je veux saluer le travail acharné de @simonjolinbarrette_borduas dans ce dossier. Il a été rigoureux et il a toujours gardé un ton respectueux. Merci Simon! Ce soir, je suis encore plus fier d’être Québécois! A post shared by François Legault (@francoislegault.pm) on Jun 16, 2019 at 8:11pm PDT Andrew Coyne: Will leaders tolerate religious segregation just because it's Quebec?If Bill 21 had been tried in any other province, the feds, media and the rest of the great and the good would descend on the offending province full of fiery denunciationshttps://t.co/TxsAjihyKR— Matt Barter (@MatthewBarter) June 18, 2019 To anyone being negatively effected by the persecuting Quebec bill 21;Ontarians are proud of our cultural diversity and have a large sector of french-speaking opportunities just — feeling blessed— g3kNd01 (@g3kNd) June 18, 2019 While federal political leaders haven't yet commented on the contentious Bill 21, the public expects the outcry to be swift. In fact, people are calling for Canada to unite against the province. I expect an unequivocal denouncement of Bill 21 by @JustinTrudeau, @AndrewScheer & @theJagmeetSinghAlso expect all Canadians to stand strong against what is happening in Quebec because if we truly are as great as we believe we are, we would fight for human rights coast to coast— Jaskaran Sandhu (@jaysingh_01) June 18, 2019 The adoption of Bill 21 over these next few months can potentially dissuade thousands of eligible employees from living and working in the province. Already, the CIJA and the NCCM have spoken out against the law and its potential human rights violation. READ ALSO: The Quebec Government Will Use Punishments To Force People To Remove Their Religious Symbols Under Bill 21 Some people around the country are going so far as to demand a complete boycott of Quebec products. After Bill 21 is passed, I am urging everyone to boycott ALL video games made in Quebec including those made by @UbisoftMTL (Assassins Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs) as well as boycotting other Quebec products. This will not go unheard. https://t.co/0KL6D7QSut— Neuronic (@Neuronic101) June 18, 2019 As delicious as they are, not sure if I can in good conscience buy Quebec strawberries and cheeses given the recent passing of racist bill 21–an act that restricts teachers, judges, police, and some others from wearing religious symbols, disguised as a State “neutrality” measure— Saleem Razack (@SaleemRazack) June 18, 2019 However unlikely the scenario of a total boycott seems, the people most at risk for this would be individual Quebec workers, business owners, and the like. They're right to be concerned that Bill 21 will affect potential business dealings and tourism. Stop racism #CAQ boycott tourism too racist Québec— big sab (@astra3333) June 18, 2019 Time to boycott Quebec products. #Bill21— Rembetika Hipsters (@RembetikaH) June 18, 2019 READ ALSO: People In Quebec Are Taking To Social Media To Both Call Out & Praise The New Religious Symbols Ban To read Bill 21 in its entirety, click here. For more information on Quebec's controversial new religious symbols law, please watch the MTLBlog report below:
