MONTREAL — Quebec’s new restrictions on prayer are changing the rules at public workplaces and university campuses, with employees and students facing new limits on where they can pray. Quebec adopted its secularism law in April, with new rules taking effect Sept. 1 that include a ban on prayer rooms in public institutions such as universities, colleges and transit agencies. The law also prohibits collective religious practices on public roads and in public parks unless a municipality grants permission on a case-by-case basis. Montreal’s public transit agency, the STM, says employees can no longer pray anywhere on its property, including in four wellness rooms where prayer had been permitted alongside meditation, relaxation and yoga. The transit agency says managers who witness religious practices will remind employees of the new rules, while workers can leave STM property to pray during unpaid breaks. At the Université de Montréal, officials say managers and security staff are being given guidance on the new law, and people who want to pray will be asked to leave campus. Université du Québec à Montréal says it did not have dedicated prayer spaces before the new rules took effect and will comply with the law. Montreal police did not respond to questions about how they will enforce the restrictions. --- The Canadian Press
