Quebec’s plan to introduce a law banning prayer in public spaces is drawing strong criticism from civil liberties groups and legal experts, who warn it could further push the boundaries of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge announced Thursday that he will table the legislation this fall, calling the increase in “street prayers” in Montreal and elsewhere in the province “a serious and sensitive issue.”

Roberge did not clarify whether the government would invoke the notwithstanding clause, which allows provincial laws to override certain sections of the Charter for a renewable five-year term. Premier François Legault previously suggested that option was under consideration when he criticized public prayers last year. Joel Bakan, a constitutional law professor at the University of British Columbia, said the government may feel confident about shielding the measure with the clause. Without it, he argued, persuading courts that the law is a “reasonable limit” on freedoms of religion and expression under Section 2 of the Charter would be difficult.

Quebec has used the notwithstanding clause before. In 2019, the province passed Bill 21, which bans certain public employees from wearing religious symbols. The law was renewed in 2023 and is now under review by the Supreme Court of Canada. Last year, the province also prohibited prayer rooms and religious practices in public schools, a move widely condemned by Muslim and civil liberties organizations.

Critics argue that the proposed ban on public prayer fits into a broader pattern of restrictions that disproportionately affect minority faith groups. “The province is escalating ways to almost normalize this idea of restricting religious rights in a kind of scaffolded way,” said Harini Sivalingam of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which has led legal challenges to Bill 21. She added that measures like these tend to have outsized impacts on Muslims, Sikhs, and Jewish communities.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions in Quebec over Muslim prayers that have taken place at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including gatherings outside Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica. “Seeing people on their knees in the streets, praying, I think we have to ask ourselves the question. I don’t think it’s something we should see,” Legault remarked last year.

In response to Roberge’s statement, the Canadian Muslim Forum said it was “deeply concerned,” warning that “a blanket ban would stigmatize communities, fuel exclusion, and undermine Quebec’s social cohesion.” Civil liberties advocates also noted that unless the law is narrowly defined, it could criminalize a wide range of practices — from silent personal prayers to yoga meditation in public spaces.