TRENTON, Ontario
The mayor of a Quebec town said Thursday he would abide by a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that city council meetings can’t begin with a Christian prayer, but he is not pleased.
The Court’s decision has repercussions far beyond the small community of Saguenay. Other Canadian cities that have traditionally opened council meetings with a Christian prayer have been forced to comply with the court’s ruling or are reviewing options.
In Canada’s capital of Ottawa, city council dropped its prayer and the city of Halifax, which opened meetings with the words “God our creator,” has its legal staff reviewing the situation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Thursday.
The Supreme Court ruling ends an eight-year legal battle about the beginning of Saguenay municipal meetings with prayer. The fight began when atheist Alain Simoneau and a non-religious organization complained and asked that the prayer be stopped. Councillors refused to comply, until now.
But Saguenay Mayor Jean Tremblay said at a press conference Thursday that the battle to reinstate the prayer would continue.
“It’s far from being over,” he said. “We have no doubt this will continue, but what we hope is that it’s not Saguenay this time. It’s not up to the town of Saguenay to take on the interests of Canada as a whole.”
Tremblay argued that a short prayer before the beginning of a council meeting showed respect for Quebec’s Catholic heritage and the province’s religious founders who originally came from France. Canada was founded by two cultures – the Catholic French and Protestant English, both of which continue to co-exist today. Canada is officially a bilingual country.
In effect, Canada’s top court ruled that the country had evolved from its Catholic-Protestant roots and no particular belief should be favored because that would inhibit freedom of conscience, and religion includes the freedom not to observe any faith.
But Tremblay said the historic foundation of Canada should not be forgotten.
“Until what point is it important for a nation to remember?” the devout Catholic mayor said. “We have to stand up for our customs, for our traditions.”
Saguenay had to do more than stop praying at the beginning of its meetings. The court ordered the city pay Simoneau $33,200 in damages and costs.
