#securlarism

SECULARISM & THE MINORITY VOTE

Guest post by T.R. Ramaswami

A hotly debated recent subject is secularism and the statement that the minority vote is so important that it will decide the fate of any election. You cannot have “secularism” and the concept of a “minority vote”. This is an insult to both, the minority and the majority. It implies that the minority individuals have no will of their own and are no better than a herd…

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Creed Policy states that “[r]eligious pluralism poses a challenge in any multicultural society (...) an informed spirit of tolerance and compromise is indispensable”. Genuine pluralism means that religion and other conscientious beliefs have a place in our public life, and should receive protection under the definition of ‘creed’.  

Recognizing that non-religious beliefs can be creeds would clarify human rights discourse. Secularism, in particular, is not neutral. Insistence on a secular public sphere does not lead to neutrality, but indirectly discriminates against religious viewpoints. These viewpoints should be accommodated and allowed to enrich our public life.

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Suzanne Chiodo is a lawyer practicing with the firm of Thomas Gold Pettingill in downtown Toronto. Prior to her call to the bar, she was a judicial clerk at the Federal Court.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Oxford and graduated with distinction from Western Law, where she was teaching assistant in constitutional law and founding editor of the Western Journal of Legal Studies.

Ontario human rights law protects people from discrimination based on creed. Although creed has traditionally been seen as synonymous with religion, it is time to consider whether sincere and strongly held secular beliefs merit protection. This paper argues that creed should be reinterpreted in a way that includes secular beliefs such as ethical veganism. An ethical vegan believes it is wrong to exploit animals for human purposes, and seeks to avoid consuming or otherwise using animal products. Case law, statutory construction and trends in other jurisdictions provide the legal basis for an expansive interpretation of creed, consistent with the fundamental values underlying human rights law.

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Camille Labchuk is a third year law student at the University of Toronto. Camille intends to practice animal rights law. In the summer of 2011 she worked for Lawyers for Animal Welfare (LAW), Canada’s only animal law-focused organization. She presently acts as Campaign Manager for LAW, is a board member of Mercy for Animals Canada, and sits on the governing council of the federal Green Party.