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Young people will bear the brunt of the Coalition Avenir Québec’s planned ban on religious symbols, a Montreal high school teacher says.

“With the grandfather clause, the target has been removed off the backs of teachers and has now been put on the backs of our students,” said Westmount High School’s Robert Green, who is helping organize a protest of the ban on Wednesday, April 3.

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“As public educators, we believe strongly that we should be there to help all of our students succeed and dream to become anything they want.”

Bill 21, introduced Thursday, includes a grandfather clause that would allow teachers who wear religious symbols such as Muslim hijabs, Jewish kippahs, Sikh turbans or Christian crosses to keep their jobs unless they change school boards or become vice-principals or principals.

But if the bill becomes law, new teachers will not be allowed to work wearing symbols with religious connotations.