Standing for faith: A religious freedom case unfolds in Quebec
A constitutional challenge is testing the limits of religious expression in Quebec, as a small charity dedicated to suicide prevention confronts a municipal government over a ticket issued during peaceful outreach. The case, now before the courts, raises serious questions about whether local bylaws and Quebec’s secularism legislation can override the Charter–protected right to freedom of religion.
A message of hope—and a ticket
Groupe Jaspe is a Christian charity founded by Claude Tremblay after the loss of his son to suicide. Since 1999, the organisation has travelled across Quebec, reaching out door-to-door to share messages about the value of life and the importance of human connection. Mr. Tremblay and his team of 70 volunteers have visited over 770 towns and villages, offering leaflets, words of encouragement, and spiritual resources to those who will listen.
In October 2024, during a typical outreach visit in the town of Waterloo, a Groupe Jaspe volunteer was issued a ticket by a municipal officer for soliciting without a permit—despite not asking for money. Instead, the volunteer was offering Christian literature and support. The municipality claimed that under its local bylaw, such activity required a permit. Groupe Jaspe disagreed, arguing that its outreach is a religious act protected by the Charter.
A fight for constitutional rights
This was not the first time Groupe Jaspe had been ticketed.
In 2015, a similar charge in another municipality was dismissed by a court, which found that the bylaw could not override Charter freedoms. That decision drew directly from Blainville (Ville) c. Beauchemin, 2003 QCCA 1137, where the Quebec Court of Appeal affirmed that door-to-door religious expression falls within the scope of constitutionally protected freedom of religion.
But this time, Waterloo argued that the legal landscape had changed.
Since the passage of Quebec’s Loi sur la Laïcité de l’État in 2019—known in English as the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State—municipalities have claimed broader powers to enforce religious neutrality in public spaces. The City of Waterloo contends that this legislation authorises it to restrict door-to-door outreach based on religious content, even when no goods or services are being sold.
With lawyers provided by the Justice Centre, Groupe Jaspe launched a constitutional challenge.
Constitutional lawyer Olivier Séguin argues that religious freedom is not suspended by local bylaws or provincial policies on secularism. “This is not about selling a product or asking for donations,” explained Mr. Séguin. “This is about sharing a message of hope and faith—a constitutionally protected activity.”
A final decision expected soon
The case was heard on February 10, 2025, in Municipal Court. A final decision is expected on Monday, May 26, 2025.
The ruling will help determine whether Quebec municipalities can use bylaws—or provincial secularism laws—to silence peaceful religious expression in public spaces.
Court rules against charity in pivotal case
On May 26, 2025, the Municipal Court of Waterloo upheld a ticket issued to a volunteer with Le Groupe Jaspe, a Quebec-based suicide prevention charity, for going door-to-door without a permit. The Justice Centre had assisted the group in arguing that the bylaw violated Charter-protected freedom of religion. While the Court acknowledged that Quebec’s Loi sur la Laïcité de l’État does not grant unlimited authority to restrict religious expression, it ultimately ruled that the City’s permitting bylaw could be enforced.
The Justice Centre expressed concern that the decision undermines peaceful religious outreach in public spaces.
