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<\/p>\nDaycares and other public institutions in Quebec that serve halal or kosher food are wondering how the province\u2019s new secularism bill will affect them. <\/p>\n
The bill, tabled last month, says no public institution can \u201coffer exclusively a diet based on a religious precept or a tradition.\u201d <\/p>\n
That\u2019s creating some confusion. <\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve heard very little in terms of how that detail would look like. I think it’s all up in the imagination right now,\u201d said Steven Zhou, spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims. <\/p>\n
And at B\u2019nai Brith, a Jewish advocacy group, things aren\u2019t much clearer. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we navigate this?\u201d asked spokesperson Paola Samuel. \u201cHow do we navigate the kosher food or the halal food or whatever other food restrictions other communities have?\u201d<\/p>\n
Quebec\u2019s government tabled Bill 9 last month, known as An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Quebec, aiming to limit public prayer and extend a ban on religious symbols to subsidized daycare workers. <\/p>\n
The legislation builds on previous secularism laws, including Bill 21, which banned religious symbols for public employees in positions of authority.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Religious groups concerned about Bill 9:<\/p>\n
Outlawing exclusively kosher, halal menus at Quebec public institutions worries religious groups<\/p>\n
Bill 9, the CAQ government\u2019s latest strengthening of secularism laws, forbids public institutions from exclusively serving food offerings that adhere to religious precepts or traditions. Some say this could create complex issues for places like public daycares. <\/p>\n
Other measures in Bill 9 include banning prayer spaces in public institutions, requiring uncovered faces for anyone in public education settings, phasing out subsidies for religious private schools, and ensuring public institutions also offer non-religious food options. <\/p>\n
Critics say Bill 9 unfairly targets religious minorities and amounts to political opportunism, with groups including the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Assembly of Catholic Bishops calling it an infringement on rights. Opponents also warn the daycare rules could reduce staff, disproportionately affecting Muslim women. <\/p>\n
Secularism minister defends food rules<\/p>\n
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge, Quebec\u2019s minister responsible for secularism, says the proposed law isn\u2019t that complicated when it comes to food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can serve kosher meals, but they will have to serve some other food too,\u201d he said. \u201cTo enlarge the offer. It\u2019s not prohibited to serve kosher meals.\u201d <\/p>\n
This would mostly affect publicly funded or subsidized daycares. <\/p>\n
![\"Man\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765561928_563_default.jpg\")
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge, Quebec\u2019s minister responsible for secularism, says Bill 9 isn’t that complicated when it comes to food. (Jacques Boissinot\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
Many of them offer exclusively halal or kosher menus, even to children who aren\u2019t Muslim or Jewish, simply out of convenience. As Zhou points out, being halal doesn\u2019t change the taste or nature of the meat. <\/p>\n
Halal and kosher foods follow Muslim and Jewish dietary rules, respectively, that require specific animal slaughter methods, bans on certain foods and strict handling methods to ensure the products meet each religion\u2019s standards. <\/p>\n
Daycare association questions bill’s impact<\/p>\n
Philippe Grand, the director of food services with the Association qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise des centres de la petite enfance (AQCPE), a daycare association, said the proposed law raises questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s important to understand that those responsible for providing food in child-care centres have to work with limited suppliers and budgets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what will a manager do if the only suppliers able to meet budgetary constraints offer, for example, only halal or kosher products?\u201d <\/p>\n
In some cases, it could mean a daycare would need two separate kitchens.<\/p>\n
Samuel said a kosher kitchen is particular. If other food is brought into the kitchen, it is no longer kosher. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so how do you navigate that while serving other communities and serving your community as well?\u201d she asked. <\/p>\n
Jewish General Hospital serves kosher<\/p>\n
Beyond daycares, an institution that could be affected is Montreal\u2019s Jewish General Hospital.<\/p>\n
According to its website, all of the hospital\u2019s food preparation services are carried out in accordance with Jewish dietary tradition. It says meat and dairy products are never served during the same meal. <\/p>\n
However, a spokesperson for the hospital told CBC News that non-kosher meals are available, but didn\u2019t offer any other details.<\/p>\n
The proposed law has people like Samuel asking if the hospital will have to also build a separate kitchen. <\/p>\n
Supporters of the bill, including the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, argue the legislation strengthens secularism and protects social peace, continuing Quebec\u2019s long-standing effort to separate religion from the state dating back to the Quiet Revolution. <\/p>\n
Roberge has said the bill reinforces the \u201creligious neutrality of the state\u201d and equality for all citizens. In a statement on Roberge\u2019s behalf, a spokesperson says there are no exceptions provided for in the bill. <\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it\u2019s important to remember that we are still in the tabling stage,\u201d the statement says. \u201cBefore answering more specific questions, it\u2019s necessary to consult with stakeholders and have a detailed article-by-article review.\u201d <\/p>\n
Muslim and Jewish groups say they\u2019re ready to participate in that process. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Daycares and other public institutions in Quebec that serve halal or kosher food are wondering how the province\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-312461","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}