Press release. The following was issued by the Québécoises musulmanes tannées collective on Oct. 5, 2026, and is published as received. Canada News Media did not write or edit it.
MONTREAL, Oct. 5, 2026
For 18 consecutive Mondays since June 2026, members of the Québécoises musulmanes tannées collective have gathered outside the office of Quebec’s interim premier, Christine Fréchette. We have voiced our opposition to Laws 21, 94 and 9 and highlighted their concrete consequences for Muslim women’s lives: increased exclusion, shrinking professional and civic opportunities, and the growing erasure of some of us from public life, all in the name of a conception of secularism that we reject.
For 18 weeks, we have occupied public space to affirm one simple thing: we are here, we are part of Quebec, and we will continue to defend our rights and our full place in society. We also requested a meeting with Ms. Fréchette so that she could hear directly from the women affected by these laws and understand their impacts beyond political discourse. Unfortunately, that meeting never took place. Yet another Fréchette “our inclusive Fréchette” came to meet us, listened to us, and stood by our side in solidarity. This is the kind of politics grounded in proximity, listening and humanity that we want to see more of in Quebec.
On this October 5, election day, we are bringing this stage of our mobilization to a close, but certainly not our struggle. An election opens a new political cycle, and we call on those who will govern Quebec to recognize the society in which we live: a diverse and pluralistic society, where living together cannot be built by asking some people to erase parts of themselves in order to belong. This is not only about us. It is also about the generations growing up today and the Quebec we want to leave them: a Quebec where no one should have to hide a part of their identity in order to work, study, get involved, or participate fully in society.
October 5 therefore does not mark the end of our mobilization; it marks the beginning of a new stage. We will continue our struggle in other forms, with the same determination. Stay tuned for our upcoming actions.
About the collective: Québécoises musulmanes tannées
Founded in November 2025, the collective is made up primarily of Muslim women directly affected by Laws 21, 94 and 9. It brings together women who are fed up with being erased from public and professional life and with facing increasingly institutionalized Islamophobia. They mobilize against the exclusion and discrimination resulting from these laws and advocate for an inclusive approach to secularism that respects rights and reflects the pluralism of Quebec society.
Contact
[email protected]
facebook.com/QuebecoisesMusulmanesTannees
