In The News: The Secularization of Religion in Quebec
This week Lakeridge Health, a hospital in Oshawa, Ontario, launched an advertisement campaign to appeal to medical students currently studying in Quebec. The controversial ad (which can be viewed here) consists of a young female medical student wearing a pink hijab with the slogan “We Don’t Care What’s On Your Head. We Care What’s In It” displayed in large print. Set to appear in The McGill Daily school newspaper, the campaign has been initiated amidst the Parti Quebecois movement to ban public servant workers from wearing any “ostentatious” religious attire during work hours. Clothing would include: turbans, kippas, burkas, hijabs, and “large” crosses. To read the entire article from The National Post click here.
Religious diversity is a common characteristic of Canada’s identity. For many Canadians, especially new immigrants, religion remains a major factor in determining personal identity. However, Quebec culture is predominately secularized. To find out more about the secularization of religion in Quebec, take a look at The Toronto Journal of Theology article “Doing Theology in a Secularized Society and an Estranged Church: Issues from Quebec” by Jean-Guy Nadeau. He explores Quebec’s shift from strong public religiosity to becoming one the most North America’s most secularized societies.
