Elementary school students in Quebec, Canada, could soon be prohibited from wearing visible religious symbols, including hijabs, turbans and Jewish skullcaps, as the province's newly elected Parti Québécois (PQ) government plans to expand its secularism laws.

Quebec Education Minister Joël Arseneau has reaffirmed the government's commitment to introduce the proposed restrictions, describing the measure as a non-negotiable electoral promise. Speaking to reporters on October 28, he said that the government was determined to implement the policy, NDTV reports.

The proposal would extend restrictions under Quebec's existing secularism framework, commonly known as Bill 21, to children attending elementary schools. The legislation currently prohibits certain public-sector employees, including schoolteachers, from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties, subject to specified exemptions.

If implemented, the proposed expansion could affect Muslim students wearing hijabs, Sikh children wearing turbans and Jewish students wearing kippahs. However, the government has not yet announced a timeline for introducing the legislation or details regarding its enforcement.

The Parti Québécois, which recently formed a minority government, had promised to strengthen the province's secularism framework during its election campaign. The party maintains that public institutions, including educational establishments, should remain religiously neutral and that religious practices should largely be confined to the private sphere.

The proposal has drawn criticism from religious organisations, civil liberties groups and education representatives, who have raised concerns about its implications for children's religious freedom and access to education.

Stephen Brown, chief executive of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, criticised the proposed restrictions, arguing that children should not have to choose between expressing their religious identity and attending school. The organisation has also warned that the measure could disproportionately affect minority religious communities.

Jewish religious representatives have similarly raised concerns, pointing out that religious clothing and symbols can be integral to an individual's identity and everyday religious practices.

Education sector representatives have warned that the restrictions could strain relationships between schools and families, with some parents potentially becoming reluctant to send their children to institutions where religious clothing is prohibited.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has also questioned whether the proposed legislation would conflict with constitutional protections relating to freedom of religion, expression and equality. Legal experts have raised the possibility of the government invoking Canada's notwithstanding clause to shield the restrictions from certain constitutional challenges.

The proposal comes amid ongoing legal proceedings challenging Bill 21, which has already restricted the wearing of religious symbols by certain public-sector employees in Quebec.