Quebec's new secularism bill worries public institutions that serve halal, kosher foods

Daycares and other public institutions in Quebec that serve halal or kosher food are wondering how the province’s new secularism bill will affect them.

The bill, tabled last month, says no public institution can “offer exclusively a diet based on a religious precept or a tradition.”

That’s creating some confusion.

“I've heard very little in terms of how that detail would look like. I think it's all up in the imagination right now,” said Steven Zhou, spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

And at B’nai Brith, a Jewish advocacy group, things aren’t much clearer.

“How do we navigate this?” asked spokesperson Paola Samuel. “How do we navigate the kosher food or the halal food or whatever other food restrictions other communities have?”

Quebec’s government tabled Bill 9