City Council suspends prayers before meetings following Supreme Court ruling

Edmonton City Hall

In the wake of a Supreme Court ruling in Quebec, Edmonton’s City Council has voted to suspend prayers before meetings.

It was a long-standing tradition to start each council meeting with a prayer – the decision to suspend the prayer Tuesday came after a recommendation from the City Clerk.

Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that reciting a prayer before a Quebec council meeting violated the province’s Charter of Rights.

On Tuesday morning, councillors voted and the motion to suspend the prayer was carried with support from all but three councillors: Bryan Anderson for Ward 9, Michael Walters for Ward 10, and Mike Nickel for Ward 11 voted against the motion.

Instead of a prayer Tuesday, councillors observed a moment of silence in council chambers.

The suspension in Edmonton came a day after Calgary’s City Council made the same decision.

Edmonton’s Executive Committee is expected to receive a report on the matter.

With files from Brenna Rose