ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSIONS ON THE CHARTER OF QUEBEC VALUES/BILL 60 FROM EQUALITY AND LABOR RELATIONS PERSPECTIVES

Montreal, November 26, 2013 --- CRARR will co-host two round table discussions on the Charter of Quebec Values/Bill 60, the government’s proposal law on state religious neutrality, gender equality and religion-based reasonable accommodation.

The purpose of these round-table discussions is to provide alternative and progressive critical analysis of the proposed Bill 60, to examine its impact on different minority groups and English-speaking institutions in particular, and to identify strategies for concrete actions to uphold basic rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the Canadian and Quebec Charters of Rights and Freedoms which Bill 60 may jeopardize.

The first event will be held November 28th, 2013, from 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm, at the Concordia Hall Building, 1455, de Maisonneuve West, H-435. Entitled: “A Roundtable Community Dialogue on Bill 60: Equality and Feminist Perspectives”, this round-table will focus on issues, implications and challenges faced by women, LGBT, racialized communities and other equality-seeking groups. The all-woman panel will include local academics, researchers and advocates who have done extensive work on issues of diversity, discrimination and intersecting inequality.

Me Pearl Eliadis, human rights lawyer and lecturer in civil liberties at McGill University will be the keynote speaker. The panelists will include: Dr. Yasmin Jiwani, Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University; Dr. Sirma Bilge, Professor, Sociology, Université de Montréal and Cynthia Kelly of Les filles et fils de Madeleine Parent. Dr. Genevieve Rail, Director of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, will introduce Me Eliadis and Dr. Alan David Wong, coordinator of Gay and Lesbian Asians of Montreal and Teacher, English Department, Vanier College, will moderate the discussion.

This event is co-sponsored by the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University, the Concordia Student Union and the Graduate Students Association of Concordia.

The second event will be held on December 2nd, 2013, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at the Moot Court, New Chancellor Day Hall, 3644, Peel. Entitled: “A Roundtable Community Dialogue on Bill 60: Civil Rights and Labor Relations Perspectives”, this event will focus on concrete legal and civil rights issues as they pertain to international and domestic human rights instruments and labor relations.

Alexa Conradi, President of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, will be the keynote speaker. Other panelists will include: Dr. Vrinda Narain, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University; Me Shahad Salman, Lawyer; Dave Douglas, President, Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association and David Birnbaum, Executive Director, Association of English-Speaking School Boards of Quebec

This event is co-sponsored by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association at McGill Law.

Read Bill 60: http://www.nosvaleurs.gouv.qc.ca/medias/pdf/Charter.pdf