Quebec MNAs vote to affirm right to breastfeed in public

Breastfeeding mother asked to leave store A mother was asked to leave a store in Fairview Pointe-Claire because she was breastfeeding.

QUEBEC CITY — Breastfeeding in public is still not as comfortable an activity as it should be for women in Quebec, with at least two mothers forced to do battle with retailers over the issue this past month.

Those stories were highlighted by members of the National Assembly on Tuesday when they unanimously adopted a motion stipulating that mothers have the right to breastfeed their children in public places.

The motion, presented by Quebec Solidaire MNA Manon Massé, condemns "any hindrance to this right."

The MNAs also took the opportunity to encourage all "mothers who wish to do so, to breastfeed in public spaces."

The motion follows a recent incident at the Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal, where a security guard removed a woman from the premises who was breastfeeding her baby.

The woman, Isabelle Côté, was upset and subsequently filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

Another woman also spoke out after she was asked to leave a Lush cosmetics store for breastfeeding her son.

"It was incredibly embarrassing for me," Aella Morad told CTV.

Both the shopping centre and the store have since apologized and said they would ensure staff are made aware that women can breastfeed their children in their establishments at any time.

Last Sunday about a hundred women attended a demonstration in front of the Eaton Centre to denounce the incident and normalize breastfeeding in public places.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 29, 2022. With files from CTV News Montreal.