Montreal takes out city hall welcome sign that included woman wearing hijab

The Canadian Press · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 2:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The City of Montreal has officially taken down a invited motion that stirred contention past autumn due to the fact that it depicted a pistillate wearing an Islamic headscarf.

The motion successful the lobby of the recently renovated metropolis hall, which showed a pistillate wearing a hijab, drew disapproval online, prompting Mayor Valérie Plante to perpetrate to taking it down successful the sanction of secularism.

"I deliberation we tin speech astir diverseness — the large taste wealthiness of Montreal — portion favouring secularism," Plante said astatine the time.

In the image, which is successful the benignant of a pencil sketch, the pistillate is lasting betwixt 2 men — 1 who seems younger and is wearing a shot headdress and overcoat, and an older antheral with his hands crossed successful beforehand of him.

"Welcome to Montreal metropolis hall!" is written successful French supra them.

The representation besides drew complaints from Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who said it was an illustration of religion creeping into the nationalist sphere.

That came astatine a clip erstwhile 11 schoolhouse teachers had conscionable been suspended from their positions astatine a Montreal simple schoolhouse implicit allegations of toxic behaviour and that they fto their spiritual content impact however they treated students and approached the curriculum.

Since then, the state has announced plans to tighten secularism rules surrounding secularism successful Quebec schools.

Those opposed to taking down the image, including a fig of Muslim assemblage groups, said the representation was meant to exemplify the divers quality of Montreal. 

Samaa Elibyari, co-chairperson for the Montreal section of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, told CBC News successful October that portion the poster didn't accurately bespeak the diverseness of Montrealers and their wardrobe choices, taking the motion down would send the incorrect message. 

"The content we get is that we should beryllium invisible. We're not portion of the society, we're pushed to the borderline of society. So this is denying our presence," she said.

Plante spokesperson Catherine Cadotte says the poster did not fulfil its intended purpose.

Cadotte says it volition beryllium replaced by a rotating accumulation of works designed by young Montreal artists, allowing them to item their aspirations for the city's future.

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