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Montreal’s mayor states the sign caused “discomfort” and emphasizes the need for secularism in institutions.
Published Oct 28, 2024 • Last updated 45 minutes ago • 2 minute read
The City of Montreal has made the decision to take down a welcome sign displayed at city hall featuring a woman wearing a hijab, due to growing controversy and heated discussions surrounding its appropriateness. The controversial sign is no longer visible as of Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Photo by Giuseppe Valiante /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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In a significant move reflecting the city’s position on secularism, Montreal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, announced that a welcome sign in the lobby of the newly renovated city hall will be removed. The sign, which depicts a woman in a headscarf, has sparked debates and criticism over whether such imagery is suitable in a public institution.
During an appearance on Radio-Canada’s popular talk show, Tout le monde en parle, on Sunday night, Plante addressed the controversy, stating that the sign would be taken down due to the “discomfort” it has caused among some citizens. She underlined the importance of public institutions adhering to principles of secularism while acknowledging Montreal’s cultural diversity. “I think we can talk about diversity — the great cultural wealth of Montreal — while favouring secularism,” Plante articulated to host Guy A. Lepage.
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In addition to the city hall sign controversy, the east end of Montreal has recently been embroiled in a separate incident involving a hijab. A public library in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough utilized an image featuring a smiling girl in a hijab to promote a reading event aimed at children ages three to six, which triggered a backlash from some community members.
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon expressed concern that the signage at City Hall, alongside the library advertisement, exemplifies an encroachment of religion into public spaces—a contentious issue in Quebec’s ongoing discourse on secularism.
The debate surrounding religion’s role in public institutions has intensified recently, highlighted by the suspension of 11 teachers at Bedford public elementary school amid allegations of toxicity and the perceived introduction of religious instruction into the curriculum.
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The welcome sign installed at city hall was first revealed last June, coinciding with the completion of significant renovations to the building. Following its installation, numerous calls for its removal emerged, fueled by arguments from various groups advocating for strict secularism.
The Mouvement laïque québécois, a prominent secular advocacy group, voiced its opposition in July, stating that the image “offends the vast majority of women and men of all religions or beliefs who want real and apparent secularism in their public institutions in the name of equality and freedom of conscience.”
The women’s rights organization, Pour les droits des femmes du Québec, reached out to Plante over the summer, labeling the image unacceptable. They described the hijab as a symbol of fundamentalist religious practice that fails to meet the “threshold of social acceptability” and could undermine social cohesion.
Plante confirmed on Sunday that efforts to replace the image are already in progress, signaling the city’s responsiveness to community concerns.
The mayor’s office refrained from providing additional commentary regarding her appearance on the talk show, a few days after she publicly announced her decision not to seek re-election in the upcoming municipal elections.
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