Coincidence or not, the government commissioned a study committee on respect for the principles of the Act respecting the laicity of the State and on religious influence, with the clear intention of putting more muscle behind Bill 21. In its recommendations, the committee raises the importance of setting a framework for prayer in public. That is good; it is even essential that we do it.
It also seems fundamental to me to take account of the freedom of conscience and religion enshrined in the Charter of rights, not to target any one religion, to pursue a principle of public order, and so on. But beyond all that, we have to remember. Remember where our convictions come from, and share them with these newcomers, these new Quebecers who are helping build the Quebec of tomorrow.
Our parents delivered a “quiet revolution”, but how transformative it was. Out of that movement a culture was born, new and modern for its time. A legacy that today allows us to choose. To choose — as I have — to believe in no religion, and to give myself the chance to spend time with Muslim people I now count among my closest friends.
Yes, our country will probably never allow anyone, of any faith, to hear the public call to prayer everywhere in a city, but that is a very small price to pay to help us live together.
Our parents' generation gave us a culture; it is now up to us to build a society that is culturally intelligent. That, quite simply, is the goal to reach.
To hold the collective capability of connecting with the other. Of sharing with them where our convictions come from, so they can understand us better. That is our role, the “job” of the host.
At work, in the boss's chair, I constantly remind myself of my duty to explain. Newcomers will not guess at my culture; few books or training courses on the subject even exist.
In the absence of a clear, strong, stated culture, human nature brings newcomers back to their own culture and practices. Can we afford to stay passive and hope cultures will align on their own? For me, the answer is no. Quebec has too many distinct and complex cultural elements to believe that other people's understanding of us will happen naturally.
So yes to strengthening the secularism law, both in its letter and in its means. Our parents made the Quiet Revolution. It is now up to us to defend what it produced.
