People in Quebec are worried that Muslim women could be denied certain public services, after the government passed a “religious neutrality” bill.
The province’s Bill 62 was passed by the Quebec provincial government on Oct. 18. It says that people who work for the government in certain jobs must have their face uncovered. It also requires people who are using government services — for instance, riding a bus or using a library — must do so with their face uncovered.
It also bans public workers, like doctors and teachers, from covering their face while they are working.
Tag: Quebec
Canada Marks Remembrance Day
The hostilities of World War I officially ended at 11:00 on November 11, 1918.
In others words, at 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month.
That is why in Canada and many other countries, Remembrance Day is celebrated on November 11 each year, with a moment of silence at 11:00.
Quebec School Bans Homework
An elementary school in Jonquière, Quebec, has made some of its students very happy by banning homework for the year.
Liberals Win Majority In Quebec
Voters in the province of Quebec made their feelings known on Monday, giving the Liberal party a majority government.
Majority means the Liberals got more votes than all of the other parties put together.
The Liberals beat the main rival, the Parti Quebecois, led by Pauline Marois.
First Nations Teens Walk 1,500 Km To Raise Awareness
Six young people and a guide walked 1,500 kilometres to bring awareness to the issues of First Nations people in North America. The walk was inspired by the Idle No More movement.
They called their walk, “The Journey of Nishiyuu.” In Cree, “nishiyuu” means “the people.”
The group left the Cree community of Whapmagoostui in Quebec on January 16. Along their walk, more than 300 people joined them; thousands more gathered with them at the end of their journey, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 25.
Along the way the group stopped at aboriginal communities. They also visited Victoria Island where Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence recently held a hunger strike to protest the Canadian government’s First Nations policies.
Canada Shining At Winter Sports – Including “Slopestyle”
Downhill skier Erik Guay, from Mont Tremblant, Quebec, raced recently in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
The 3.3-kilometre course at Kitzbuehel is often referred to as “the Super Bowl of the ski season.”
Guay finished second, skiing just 0.13 seconds slower than the person who came in first. Because he came in second, Guay earned a spot on the “podium.” In skiing, “podiums” is an official statistic. It refers to coming in first, second or third.
Coming in second at Kitzbuehel earned Guay his 19th podium of his career. If he gets one more, he will be tied for the most podiums ever by a Canadian downhill skiier.
Guay is now preparing for the World Championships which take place on Feb. 10 in Austria.
Canada’s winter sports success continued in Aspen, Colorado at the Winter X Games.
More Canadian Kids Taking French Immersion
More Canadian students are signing up for French immersion, according to a report by Statistics Canada.
Even though the number of students in Canada is going down, the number of students taking French immersion has gone up by 12 per cent in the last five years. That information is based on the 2011 census.
The trend is particularly strong out west. Over the past 12 years, the number of students in British Columbia and Alberta taking French immersion has risen steadily. The number in Saskatchewan and Ontario are also climbing.
French immersion is when a student whose first language is not French, studies in French.
PQ Forms New Government In Quebec
There has been a significant change in government in the province of Quebec.
On Sept. 4, the PQ party won the provincial election.
They will take over from the Liberals, who have been in power there for nine years.
The PQ leader is Pauline Marois. She will become Quebec’s first female premier.
The PQ or Parti Quebecois advocates “sovereignty” for Quebec. That means they believe Quebec should be a separate country from the rest of Canada because it is unique in terms of culture and language. Most people in Quebec speak French.
Ontario, Quebec Experiencing Heat Wave
It’s hot outside. But just how hot? It’s “heat-wave” hot.
That’s according to Environment Canada, the official source for weather information in Canada, particularly for severe weather watches and warnings.
A heat wave is when the temperature outside reaches 32-degrees Celsius or higher for three or more days in a row.
Southern Ontario and Quebec are experiencing temperatures in the mid-30s. With the high humidity the provinces are also experiencing, the temperature outside feels more like 42 degrees.
University Students Protest Tuition Hikes in Quebec
University students in Quebec have been protesting.
They have been told that the government is going to raise their tuition fees. In this case, “tuition fees” are the fees people pay to attend university.
Traditionally, Quebec has some of the lowest tuition fees in Canada. Only students in two provinces: Newfound and Labrador and Manitoba, pay less to attend university.
However, the increase will be the largest in the province’s history. The government intends to raise tuition by $1,625 by 2017. Students will pay $325 more each year for the next five years.
Student groups say the increase doesn’t go towards improving the quality of the teaching, and the hikes will force some students who can’t pay the extra money to drop out of school or take a second job. They worry that students who come from low-income families won’t be able to afford higher education.
