Mississauga has joined the list of cities opposing Quebec’s Bill 21.

The bill, which bans some public employees in Quebec from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs and turbans, has been called discriminatory and cities across Canada have passed motions opposing it.

Mississauga’s motion passed at the Oct. 23 council meeting calls the bill a “divisive law” perpetuating exclusion because it increases barriers to employment for religious groups.

At the meeting, Muslim Council of Peel executive director Rabia Khedr said she was concerned about “the slippery slope” the bill creates and encouraged the city to send a strong message.

“I don't want us to become a nation that starts implementing apartheid-type rules, where we're going to start classifying and categorizing what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable in the public arena,” she said.

Mississauga’s motion calls for the federal government to challenge Bill 21 and supports, “in principle,” the legal action against the bill.

Ward 5 Coun. Carolyn Parrish said, although the city opposes Bill 21, committing to funding the legal fight against it could be very expensive.

Peel Region passed a similar motion this month. In June, Brampton passed a motion to join the legal challenge against the bill and invited affected firefighters to apply for jobs with Brampton Fire.