This month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about why this law should be struck down as unconstitutional. This case is significant due to Quebec’s use of the notwithstanding clauses, before any court ruling, to override fundamental rights and freedoms

Bill 21 became law under François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government in 2019. While framed as a measure to ensure state secularism, its impact is neither neutral nor evenly distributed, writes Harini Sivalingam.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade