Pascale Fournier co-authors a brief against the Charter of values

In the context of the Quebec National Assembly’s consultations on Bill 60, Professor Fournier participated, this last December 20th, in the submission of the brief  «60 chercheurs universitaires pour la laïcité, contre le projet de loi 60». Co-written by a group of academic researchers from various fields, and as its title indicates, co-signed by 60 researchers,  this brief questions and criticizes the bill’s philosophical foundations, its constitutionality, its underlying principles as well as its alleged correlation with a strengthening of feminism in Quebec. (Click here for some media coverage of the brief)

This contribution to the legislative process follows Prof. Fournier’s active participation to the heated debate triggered by the Parti Québécois’s initiative. During the last years, Prof. Fournier conducted interviews with Jewish and Muslim women in Canada, France, England, Germany and Israel/Palestine. This strong legal expertise in women’s rights and access to justice allows her to apprehend the violations of minority rights by the proposed law, violations which she finds unjustifiable in the context of Quebec society.

The public hearings, during which selected briefs will be presented to the Committee, will begin on January 14th. Briefs will become available immediatly after their presentation through the government’s website.