Religious freedom has been in the news this week as the Supreme Court of Canada debates Quebec’s controversial Bill 21. As you might expect, it’s complicated.
Welcome to the 156th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with religious freedom, this week’s edition looks at Canadians and their cats, floating solar panels, and piano facts.
On my mind this week: Secularism vs religious freedom
This week, the Supreme Court of Canada has been debating Quebec’s controversial Bill 21, a bill which bans public servants from wearing any religious symbols in the workplace.
The ban, first enacted in 2019, applies to teachers, police officers, public defenders and judges. It prohibits religious symbols of all faiths, including the crucifix I wear. However, while the crucifix is voluntary for me, the law disproportionately impacts those whose faith requires them to wear certain religious attire like turbans for Sikhs, and hijabs for Muslim women.
Quebec’s provincial government claims the ban fosters state neutrality toward religion. Others, including the Canadian Human Rights Commission, feel the ban entrenches and legitimizes religious discrimination and and racial intolerance.
Does banning religious symbols in workplaces take secularism too far?
It’s complicated
Quebec’s priority on secularism stems back to its complicated relationship with the Catholic church, which used to control public institutions like schools and hospitals.
CBC News explains that secularism, which traditionally refers to separation of church and state, may not even be the right word to describe what’s currently going on in Quebec. It’s more about laicité, which takes it a step further and is strives to separate religion from the public sphere.
Interestingly, although the ban feels extreme to many Canadians, it’s lenient compared to laws in France and other European countries. France has banned public servants from wearing religious symbols at work for decades, and the ban extends to students in public schools. Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark all have bans on religious symbols in some public places.
The Quebec Government has gone one step further with new legislation that extends the ban to all education workers and all who volunteer in schools, including parents.
It’s an impossible choice
In a free society, no-one should ever be forced to choose between their faith and their right to fully participate in society. For people of many faiths, religious symbols are mandatory and not a personal choice. Freedom from religious discrimination should enable people of all faiths to earn a living, volunteer with public institutions and attend public events. There must be a compromise.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. To be honest, this was a bit of a blah week for me, but here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- The weather is slow to warm up, but I was able to get out for a few walks this week.
- I slept 7 ½ hours on Sunday night. That’s unheard of for me.
- I submitted the second draft of my chapter for the upcoming Retirement Coaches Association book.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Canadians are cat people
An interesting statistic I saw this week reveals that Canadians owned 8.9 million cats as pets in 2024. That put cats slightly ahead of dogs…there were 8.3 million pets of the canine variety.
That’s one cat for about every 4 people in Canada. That feels high to me, but I suppose multi-cat households skew the average.
(Source: Statista)
Vertical floating solar plant shows promise in Germany
A new solar panel installation on Bavaria’s Lake Jai marks the first commercial deployment of vertically mounted solar panels on a floating platform.
To provide stable electricity generation throughout the day, the plant features rows of vertical east-west-oriented solar panels that are separated by at least four meters. This orientation increases output during morning and evening hours when most solar systems produce less energy.
Designed for artificial water surfaces like gravel pits and quarry lakes, the vertical installations have no negative environmental implications.
(Source: Happy Eco News)
Piano facts
It’s World Piano Day. Here are some fun facts to celebrate this wonderful instrument.
- The piano has multiple identities. It can be classified as a string instrument because the sounds come from the vibration of strings. It can also be classified as a percussion instrument because a hammer strikes those strings. It’s also part of the keyboard family.
- The piano was invented around the year 1700 by Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori.
- Unlike today’s 88-key version, Cristofori’s piano had only 54 keys.
- Adapted from the harpsichord, the piano was first named clavicembalo col piano e forte, meaning “a harpsichord that can play soft and loud noises”. This was later shortened to the common name “piano.”
- In Mozart’s days, the familiar black and white keys were reversed.
(Source: Yamaha)
Quote of the week
There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.
Pope Francis
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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In my opinion, the ban is taking things too far. As long as people are not proselytizing, they should be allowed to wear the religious symbol of their choice. In a way, the government isn’t trying to stay neutral, they are actually tilting the balance toward their own preference. But if the bill was debated and supported by the majority, then I guess it’s fair.
The floating solar panels are interesting, but I wonder if having that many panels on a lake will interfere with the natural process of sunlight interacting with the water and the microorganisms there.
I agree that the government is biased toward their own preferences, Edward. Quebec politics are always interesting to watch. They definitely have a different view than the rest of the country.
Regarding the solar panels, they did studies that showed no negative impacts on the lake ecosystem. I think having them vertical and spaced far enough apart helps.
I see. It will be interesting to read the court’s final ruling.
I guess if they keep a good separation between the panels, sunlight will still pass through and work its magic on the lake.
All so interesting. Love your quote of the week! So true.
Thank you, Deborah. Yes, Pope Francis was a very wise man.
Floating solar panels – how interesting! And the black and white keys were reversed in Mozart’s day? Amazing! Hope it warms up for you soon, Michelle!
Thanks Wynne. We’re supposed to get a few warm days, and then a few cold days, and then a few warm days… It’s sprinter for sure. 😂
I love the piano fun facts! As for the secularism vs religious freedom, I’m very much a “live and let live” type, and I don’t understand why we waste so much time and energy trying to micromanage one another.
Thanks, Erin. I’m with you. I fail to see how someone wearing a religious symbol is hurtful or offensive to someone else. Live and let live, for sure.
I think this takes it too far with the banning of the religious attire and if anything, it stifles an over targeted group’s freedoms. As you said, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds!
Right. No matter how many times I hear the Quebec government defend the law, I fail to see how wearing a hijab, a crucifux, or any other religious attire is harming anyone.