Proposed charter won’t pass, predicts Harper

Federal government ready to ‘take action’ if it is approved, prime minister adds

“I think Quebecers, like all Canadians, want to see a society that is welcoming and open.”

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke out against Quebec’s controversial proposed Charter of Values on Monday, saying he doesn’t expect the current proposal to pass the province’s legislature, but that the federal government will “take whatever action is necessary” if it does.

“I do not see the charter in its current form going anywhere,” Harper told a news conference in Vancouver. “I think the common sense of Quebecers will force this towards a reasonable conclusion as the debate progresses.”

Harper pointed out that the Parti Québécois leads a minority government, and the other three parties in Quebec’s legislature are opposed to the charter in its current form. But he also suggested that, if the legislation passes, the federal government is ready to challenge it.

“If the Quebec legislature

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER

were to adopt anything that ultimately violates Canadians’ fundamental constitutional protections from discrimination, our government will take whatever action is necessary,” he said.

The proposed values charter, unveiled last week, would require Quebecers giving or receiving public services to keep their faces uncovered, and would also forbid public servants from wearing “ostentatious” religious symbols in the workplace. The three major federal political parties have denounced the proposed legislation.

Harper said Monday he thinks public opinion in Quebec is beginning to turn against the proposed charter.

“I think Quebecers, like all Canadians, want to see a society that is welcoming and open and involves the participation of people from all different backgrounds,” he said, “obviously, in Quebec, with a special concern that people from different backgrounds be able to participate in what is predominantly a Frenchspeaking society.”

Harper is the last major party leader to speak about the proposed charter.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau expressed concerns about the proposal when parts of it leaked last month.

The NDP had said it would wait for the proposal to be officially unveiled. When it did, Mulcair denounced it. He reiterated those views on Monday, calling the proposed charter “patently illegal.”

Employment Minister Jason Kenney has been the federal government’s lead spokesman on the matter, saying it would mount a legal challenge if the legislation passes and is deemed unconstitutional by the Justice Department. On Sunday, he said elements of the charter, such as regulating the permitted size of certain religious symbols, approach “Monty Python-esque absurdity.”

Monday, Harper said the Parti Québécois “would love to see a divisive debate with Ottawa and across the country,” but said it’s important to put the proposal in context: Quebecers are more concerned with matter such as the economy and job growth.

Harper expanded on his answer when, speaking in French, saying he is confident Quebecers will “do the right thing.”

“I think we will arrive at a well-balanced solution, a solution which will protect minorities but will also give room to cultural communities in a primarily Frenchspeaking province.”

While the Conservatives only have five seats in Quebec, the charter presents potential problems for the NDP, some of whose MPs represent districts where a majority of voters are in favour of the proposal.

But Mulcair said Monday his caucus is united in opposition to the charter, and that MPs are free to speak their minds on the matter.

That’s in contrast to the Bloc Québécois, whose leader Daniel Paille booted one of the party’s only MPs, Maria Mourani, out of caucus last week for voicing opposition to the proposal.