Local school board chair blasts recent court ruling on Bill 21 at monthly meeting
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) Chair Michael Murray has criticized in strong terms the recent ruling by Quebec’s Appeal Court to uphold Bill 21, which bans public officials from wearing religious symbols on the job.
“There are many rights that have been handed down by various levels of court, including the Supreme Court, since the 1990s,” Murray said to those gathered at a virtual board meeting March 26.
“So basically, to paraphrase the judgment, it was a decision that nobody has any rights in Canada anymore.”
The remarks came in the context of an update on the Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA). QESBA is an “intervener” in the case, Murray said, so all nine English school boards in the province are parties to a potential appeal of the ruling. QESBA is consulting its legal counsel to see if another appeal is worth pursuing.
