Parizeau Is Right

Although I seldom find myself agreeing with Jacques Parizeau, particularly as it relates to his vision for an independent Quebec, his latest foray into the controversy surrounding the Charter of Quebec Values has some merit. While Parizeau feels the proposed changes go too far, he does favour that those in positions “with the power to constrain” should be the only ones subjected to the banning of religious symbols.

From my perspective, police officers wear a uniform as a symbol of authority. If the intent of that authority is to also project an image of neutrality, which most people would expect in situations involving disputes, the appearance of impartiality is compromised by adjustments to the uniform that are not law-enforcement related. Even though the police officer wearing some religious article may in fact be entirely objective with the task at hand, the religious symbol can detract from the perception of being unbiased. In our pursuit of trying to be all things to all people we often disregard the notion of common sense. If we could only learn to keep matter of religious belief for home and places of worship the world would be a lot more tolerant and peaceful society.