Quebec MNAs Ban Kirpan From National Assembly

The governing Liberals joined forces with the opposition Parti Québécois to bar the Sikh ceremonial dagger from the provincial legislature.

Quebec legislators unanimously passed a PQ-tabled motion to ban the kirpan from the National Assembly Wednesday in a 113-0 vote. The vote came a month after four members of the World Sikh Organization were prevented from entering the legislature because they refused to remove their ceremonial daggers. The men were there to testify against a motion that would compel women receiving government services to remove their face coverings. The veil and kirpan debates have further inflamed the controversy over what is considered “reasonable accommodation” in Quebec society. Wednesday MNAs asserted the need for the National Assembly to remain a secular institution.