It may be ironic to note that N95 face masks are permitted in Quebec during the COVID-19 crisis, but you still cannot wear a hijab.
Nonetheless, the Province’s Commission on the Rights of Persons and Youth is speaking out against the temptation to racialize the COVID pandemic.
Vice-President Myrlande Pierre says the COVID virus makes no distinction on who it afflicts based on national or ethnic origin and the fight against the pandemic doesn’t justify racial slurs against those of Asian origin.
Media are reporting an uptake in acts of vandalism against institutions associated with the Chinese-Quebec culture.
Pierre indicates that a declared health emergency doesn’t give hatred a statutory exemption.