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Should a woman be allowed to receive government services with her face covered? What about someone in a headscarf, turban or skullcap?

Is Quebec’s Liberal government putting all Quebecers on trial by proposing hearings into systemic racism?

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Debates over diversity continue to roil Quebec, as demonstrated by the Liberals’ stinging defeat in the Louis-Hébert by-election on Monday.

On Wednesday, Premier Philippe Couillard said he was rethinking planned hearings into systemic racism in response to the electoral loss.

But in a multicultural society, leaders, judges, lawyers and police need to uphold the rights of all, as guaranteed by the constitutional Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The clash between rights and values was the topic at a conference this week by the Montreal-based Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ), a national, educational organization for judges and others in the justice system.