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Television images broadcast Tuesday morning showed the crucifix in the Salon Bleu of the Quebec National Assembly being removed from above the Speaker’s chair.

The crucifix, which has hung in the legislature since the 1930s, was taken down from the wall by an unidentified official wearing white gloves and then placed on a table.

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In March, Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled a motion in the National Assembly calling for the crucifix to be removed. The motion stipulated that the office of the National Assembly had been mandated to move the crucifix to another part of the legislature.

The presence of the crucifix in the Salon Bleu was raised repeatedly during the debate over Bill 21, the CAQ government’s ban on religious symbols in the public service.

Premier François Legault had said repeatedly that the crucifix was part of the province’s heritage and should stay put.