On Saturday, September 5, 2026, public institutions across Quebec began locking prayer rooms and revising employee guidelines as the province’s expanded secularism law came into force. The law, which took effect early Thursday morning, requires government‑run facilities to limit the display of religious symbols and the provision of dedicated religious spaces.
Schools, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), and several universities were among the bodies that immediately implemented the changes. In each location, prayer rooms that had previously been accessible to staff and students were secured, and internal policies were updated to align with the new legal requirements. Employees received revised guidelines outlining the permissible scope of religious expression within the workplace.
The measures follow Quebec’s recent adoption of a broader secularism statute aimed at reinforcing the separation of religion and state in public life. The legislation expands earlier provisions by explicitly mandating that public bodies restrict both overt symbols and designated areas for worship, seeking a uniform approach to religious neutrality across the province’s services and institutions.
As the law takes hold, administrators are adjusting facilities and staff practices to comply with the new standards. The closures of prayer rooms represent the first visible step in a province‑wide effort to enforce the secularism framework, affecting a range of public services and educational settings throughout Quebec.