OTTAWA -- Federal politicians, two years after it was first passed by the Quebec government, are now raising concerns about Bill 21.

OTTAWA -- An effort to have the courts overturn Quebec’s controversial Bill 21 has failed, even though a provincial court did rule that some aspects of the law that infringe on language rights must be scrapped by the government.

OTTAWA -- Lawyers challenging Bill 21, Quebec’s so-called secularism law, are arguing that because the law disproportionately targets women the provincial government cannot use the notwithstanding clause to shield it from any challenge.

They often say that one of the difficulties of discussing racism and prejudice in Canada is our reputation for being “nice.” Our supposed “niceness” acts as a veneer that covers up serious underlying issues.