If the Parti Québécois (PQ) forms the next Quebec government, it pledges to ban “ostentatious” religious symbols for elementary school students. The PQ consulted its members in recent weeks to find out whether they agreed with this proposal; 90 per cent said they were in favour. PQ members also voted in favour of banning street prayers (95 per cent). The participation rate was 55 per cent. “The least we can say is that this gives us a clear direction (...) and it means that if Quebecers decide to trust the PQ to form the next government in a year’s time, these will be our policies,” explained PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. He unveiled the results of this consultation at a press briefing on Thursday at the Quebec legislature at the end of his party’s pre-session caucus. The Legault government has already announced its intention to ban street prayers. It will legislate on this issue in a bill that will aim more broadly to strengthen secularism in Quebec. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 25, 2025.
