In preparation for Quebec legislation that would see religious symbols banned for public employees, Montreal city council is insisting that any kind of enforced secularism must be tolerant and inclusive.

Last week, the borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, who wears a kippa—a Jewish skullcap—said nobody should be forced to make a choice between being an elected official and wearing a religious symbol on the job.

Lionel Perez, who filed the motion, says he does not oppose the creation of a secular charter. His motion outlines a version of secularism that is in line with Montreal's modern diversity.

"We want it to reflect what Montreal is, which is an open and tolerant society," Perez says.

"Everyone has the right to be respected for their beliefs," he says. "We don't want the state to start dictating how to practice religion or what to believe in. That's what state neutrality infers, and that's what we wanted to affirm here today."

The motion passed unanimously at the city council meeting on Tuesday.

The motion essentially tells the Quebec government to "back off," according to city councillor for Snowdon, Marvin Rotrand.

"The idea of banning someone from being in a position of authority, like a teacher or a doctor, because they wear a kippa or a turban, is unconscionable," he says.

Rotrand says if the proposed charter of values passes at the national assembly, the city may try to opt out of some of its clauses.