Article content

It was an emotional moment Monday as Montreal city council unanimously adopted a bipartisan declaration affirming citizens’ right to job opportunities and professional advancement whatever their faith or the religious symbols they choose to wear.

Opposition leader Lionel Perez broke down in tears while speaking on behalf of the joint declaration opposing Premier François Legault’s Bill 21, which proposes to ban the wearing of such religious symbols as the hijab, kippah or turban for authority figures like teachers, police officers, prosecutors and judges.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Montreal unanimously adopts bipartisan declaration opposing Bill 21 Back to video

“I am a Quebecer as much as everyone else,” said Perez, who wears the Jewish kippah, as members of council applauded, whatever their allegiance.

“We are all Quebecers, whether we wear the kippah, the veil, a cross or anything else,” he said.

Perez choked up as he recalled that he was born in Montreal and raised by immigrant parents who chose Quebec “because of its openness, because of the French language and the promise of a better future.”