Ex-justice Claire L'Heureux-Dub supports secular 'values' charter

Two former Supreme Court judges are at odds overQuebecs proposed secular charter.

Former Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dub, who sat on Canada's top court from 1987 to 2002, spoke today at the national assemblys public hearings on the charter.

The secular charter, or Bill 60, has faced criticism for banning overtly religious symbols for all public-sector employees.

But L'Heureux-Dub said that such a ban would not necessarily infringe on human rights.

She said she sees the charter as an opportunity to create a secular state, and she believes it would survive a court challenge.

But L'Heureux-Dubs former colleague, Louise Arbour, paints a different picture.

In an open letter to a Montreal newspaper, former Supreme Court Justice Arbour calls Bill 60 an odious project.

There is no doubt that, as proposed, the charter would infringe on rights of freedom of religion, Arbour stated in the letter, printed in La Presse.

She said the proposed law would limit freedom of religion, largely at the expense of Muslim women.

Arbour, who was on the Supreme Court from 1994 to 2004, said the charter would likely not survive a constitutional challenge.

She calls it a siren song that evokes an antiquated image of a homogeneous Quebec, where other faiths are seen as threats.