WATERLOO, QC: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that the Municipal Court of Waterloo has upheld the ticketing of a volunteer of the suicide prevention group Le Groupe Jaspe in a decision that undermines freedom of religion in Quebec.
Le Groupe Jaspe was founded in 1999 by Claude Tremblay following the suicide of his son. In an effort to engage with suicidal and desperate people, Mr. Tremblay set out to knock on every door in Quebec’s 1,000 cities and towns. Since then, he and his team of 70 volunteers have reached over 770 towns and villages across Quebec with a message about the value of life.
On October 30, 2024, the City issued a ticket to one of the group’s volunteers for going door-to-door without a permit. The City claimed the activity violated a bylaw requiring a permit for solicitation.
With help from the Justice Centre, Le Groupe Jaspe challenged the application of the bylaw to the volunteer on the grounds that it violated their freedom of religion – protected by section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The case was heard by the Municipal Court of Waterloo on February 10, 2025.
The City argued that the legal landscape had shifted since the passing of Quebec’s 2019 Loi sur la Laïcité de l’État (Act Respecting the Laicity of the State), which affirms the state’s religious neutrality.
On May 26, 2025, the Court concluded that the bylaw could be enforced against the volunteer of Le Groupe Jaspe. However, the Court did find that Loi sur la Laïcité de l’État does not provide the state with unlimited power to limit such activities.
Constitutional lawyer Olivier Séguin, who argued the case, expressed disappointment with the ruling.
“This decision suggests that municipalities can suppress peaceful religious expression in the public square through permitting rules—something the Charter is meant to prevent,” said Mr. Séguin. “This ruling stands in tension with prior court decisions that affirmed the right to share one’s faith publicly. It raises serious concerns about the future of religious freedom in Quebec.”
