Swimming in our lane
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/01/2022 (515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
When this column was submitted, the following were the facts of the matter:
The province of Quebec has enacted legislation that is secular in nature. It prevents clothing or articles which represent one’s religion from being worn by those serving in public service (government) workplaces, including teachers in schools, health-care and municipal offices.
In 2019, at the request of concerned Transcona residents, I brought forward a motion at Winnipeg City Council condemning this Quebec legislation. Many other municipalities across Canada did the same. It didn’t stop Quebec from moving forward but it did send a message that places such as Manitoba, and specifically Winnipeg, do not support this legislation.
Fast forward to December 2021 and a movement by Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ont., to launch a fundraising campaign to challenge the Quebec legislation in the Supreme Court of Canada. The idea is that municipalities should contribute $100,000 to this challenge as the Quebec law could become precedent-setting.
If this move by Canadian mayors is strong enough it will apply pressure on the federal government to undertake this challenge. This is the body that should be challenging such legislation.
But why does a Quebec law matter to Winnipeggers?
Personally, as a Catholic, being unable to wear articles of my faith would be unacceptable. More so, for the thousands of Transcona residents who work in the public service, such a law would mean that they could potentially would be outright excluded from working as teachers, doctors, nurses, health-care support workers, and excluded from jobs in libraries, museums and more simply because their faith requires that certain articles must be work.
This legislation is just not right and that is why I reached out to Brian Bowman, the mayor of Winnipeg, to offer my full support to and second his Dec. 16 motion that the City of Winnipeg donate $100,000 to the Supreme Court challenge.
It is the right thing to do.
As always, I’m proud to represent Transcona at City Hall, and I hope you find my articles informative. I have a Facebook Page, Instagram account, and website (www.shawnnason.ca) to regularly inform our community on items of importance.
Should you want to discuss this or other items of concern, please contact my office by calling 204-986-8087 or emailing snason@winnipeg.ca
Shawn Nason
Transcona ward report
Shawn Nason is the city councillor for Transcona ward.