Quebec’s secularism framework is moving deeper into the public sector workplace, and organizations are warning that the talent tap is tightening just as staffing crises worsen in sectors such as education and childcare, according to a previous report.
In Quebec City, former education minister Bernard Drainville — who sponsored Bill 94 and is now a senior figure in the Coalition Avenir Québec — defended the legislation and its consequences. He said affected employees could have complied by removing religious symbols during working hours.
“They decided not to respect the law and therefore, it’s their decision. And unfortunately, they have to bear the consequences of their own personal choice,” Drainville said, according to CBC.
Retroactive rules remove earlier protections
Quebec had previously granted exemptions for employees already working in school service centres, but those protections ended retroactively when Bill 94 was tabled on March 19, 2025. Employees who changed roles after that date, or who were hired between March 19 and Oct. 30, 2025, are no longer covered by the initial grandfathering provisions.
School service centres in the Montreal region told Radio‑Canada they have adjusted recruitment practices for employees hired after the law came into force last autumn. The largest centres say they are still waiting for further direction from the provincial government before applying the law in full, but at least two have already begun enforcing it.