Montreal takes out city hall welcome sign that included woman wearing hijab
New signs will feature work by young Montreal artists and their aspirations for the city's future
The City of Montreal has officially taken down a welcome sign that stirred controversy last fall because it depicted a woman wearing an Islamic headscarf.
The sign in the lobby of the newly renovated city hall, which showed a woman wearing a hijab, drew criticism online, prompting Mayor Valérie Plante to commit to taking it down in the name of secularism.
"I think we can talk about diversity — the great cultural wealth of Montreal — while favouring secularism," Plante said at the time.
In the image, which is in the style of a pencil sketch, the woman is standing between two men — one who seems younger and is wearing a baseball cap and overcoat, and an older man with his hands crossed in front of him.
"Welcome to Montreal city hall!" is written in French above them.
The image also drew complaints from Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who said it was an example of religion creeping into the public sphere.
That came at a time when 11 school teachers had just been suspended from their positions at a Montreal elementary school over allegations of toxic behaviour and that they let their religious belief affect how they treated students and approached the curriculum.
Since then, the province has announced plans to tighten secularism in Quebec schools.
Those opposed to taking down the image, including a number of Muslim community groups, said the image was meant to illustrate the diverse nature of Montreal.
Samaa Elibyari, co-chairperson for the Montreal chapter of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, told CBC News in October that while the poster didn't accurately reflect the diversity of Montrealers and their wardrobe choices, taking the sign down would send the wrong message.
"The impression we get is that we should be invisible. We're not part of the society, we're pushed to the margin of society. So this is denying our presence," she said.
Plante spokesperson Catherine Cadotte says the poster did not fulfil its intended purpose.
Cadotte says it will be replaced by a rotating exhibition of works designed by young Montreal artists, allowing them to highlight their aspirations for the city's future.
With files from CBC News