In the latest turn of events in growing national opposition to Quebec’s controversial Bill 21, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Toronto City Council will vote on a motion to help fund legal battles against the law, which prohibits many public servants from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties.
Tory also expressed his personal opposition to Bill 21 in a statement posted on Twitter. “I continue to oppose Quebec’s Bill 21. Today, I will ask the city council to help finance the legal fight against Bill 21, ”wrote the mayor.
This news follows a recent letter Posted by Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown, in which he urges mayors across Canada to consider pooling their cities’ financial resources to help “fight Bill 21 in court” .
Mayor Tory said Thursday he stood with Brown and “[encourages] other cities across Canada to join in this fight to uphold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ”
Over the past week, Quebec has come under fire for enforcing Bill 21 to remove hijab-wearing elementary school teacher Fatemeh Anvari from her post in the city of Chelsea. The incident prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speak out against the law.
“I don’t find that in a free and open society, someone should lose their job because of their religion,” Trudeau said at a press conference Monday.
Quebec Premier François Legault applauded, insisting that the laws must be enforced. He said the local school board made a mistake in hiring Anvari.
What will Legault have to say about this latest decision from Tory?
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