The Era of Law 21: Impacts on Muslim Women and the Making of a New Normal

Six years ago, Law 21 revoked the right to wear religious symbols at work for certain public servants in Quebec, including teachers, police officers, and prosecutors. Quebec’s religious communities have been disproportionately impacted – most significantly, women who wear headscarves commonly referred to as “hijabs”. These women’s career prospects have now been severely restricted in Quebec. The effects of the law have also reverberated outward, shaping Canadian public debates on Islamophobia, rights, freedoms, and national identity. As the legal challenge to Law 21 heads to the Supreme Court of Canada, we cordially invite you to learn more about the religious symbols ban in Quebec. What have the impacts of Law 21 been on Muslim women and on Quebec society at large? Who gets to define what feminism and “social harmony” look like in Quebec? Who supports the law, and who is contesting it? What does it mean to “win” when it comes to defeating Law 21? And how does the notwithstanding clause fit into all this?

On January 31st, 2025, please join us in welcoming Prof. Nadia Hasan, Me Frédéric Bérard and Idil Issa for a bilingual interdisciplinary discussion moderated by Cee Strauss on the material impacts of Law 21 and the making of a new normal. 

Panelists:

Me Frédéric Bérard is a Doctor of Laws and Constitutional Law Litigator. He holds an M.A (McGill) in Political Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law; he did post-doctoral studies in Philosophy. He is the author of a number of works, including his monograph on the story of Omar Khadr, J’accuse les tortionnaires d’Omar Khadr, finalist for the Governor General's Award, shortlisted for the Prix des libraires and bestseller; and On nous tuera doucement (Éditions Somme toute, 2024).He is a regular political and judicial columnist and guest commentator.

After working at Stikeman Elliott and Woods, Me Bérard joined Gattuso Bouchard Mazzone in 2017, where he is a partner. Practicing constitutional and administrative law, Me Bérard had carriage of an appeal to delimit the use of notwithstanding provisions by legislators in the context of challenges to Bill 21. Founder and Director of the National Observatory for Language Rights, Me Berard is also a researcher in the Research Center on Public Law at the Université de Montréal and a trainer accredited by the Barreau du Québec.

Dr. Nadia Hasan is an assistant professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and Director of the Islamophobia Research Hub at York University. Her research and community work focus on systemic racism and Islamophobia in legal, administrative, and discursive regimes and their relation to Muslim life. She has led major public advocacy campaigns against Islamophobia in Canada and directed research initiatives that are grounded in community organizing against racism, hate and discrimination.

Dr. Hasan is co-author of the WAGE-funded community-based study, “Social Discord and Second-class Citizenship: A Study of the Impact of Bill 21 on Quebec Muslim Women in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” She also co-authored the SSHRC-funded report on systemic Islamophobia at the Canada Revenue Agency, “Under Layered Suspicion: A Review of CRA Audits of Muslim-led Charities”. Dr. Hasan is also co-director of a SSHRC-funded project, "Uncovering Systemic Islamophobia in Canada" in partnership with the Institute of Islamic Studies at UofT.

Idil Issa is the co-founder of Mouvement Montréal and founder of Femmes Musulmanes Contre le Racisme, has worked extensively in the nonprofit and startup sectors across Qatar, Malaysia, South Africa, and Canada. She is a regular contributor to prominent publications such as The Globe and Mail, Esquire Malaysia, COLORS Magazine, and Maisonneuve Magazine, writing on topics at the intersection of race, religion, and gender. Idil is also a frequent media commentator on CBC and CTV, where she advocates for the rights of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on the experiences of racialized Muslim women. She is currently pursuing a law degree at McGill University.

Me Cee Strauss is a Senior Staff Lawyer at the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). They contribute to the development and management of LEAF’s cases. They also conduct legal and other research in support of LEAF’s work on litigation, law reform, and public legal education. Cee was proud to work on LEAF’s interventions both in the Law 21 challenge at the Quebec Court of Appeal and in the pronoun law constitutional challenge currently at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal (which is now considering Saskatchewan’s use of the notwithstanding clause).