ABSTRACT
Jocelyn Maclure and Sebastien Lacroix sum up very well the events that led to the creation of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission, as well as the ones that followed after the submission of the commission's report. They show that debates over secularism or religion in Quebec, although not fundamentally different from those found elsewhere in the so-called Western world, reflect the influence of several variables that make this Canadian province a most interesting case study. The notion refers as much to national minorities or sub-state cultural groups that can reasonably be characterized as "sociological nations", as it does to nation states strictly speaking. This remark is especially relevant to an examination of the Canadian situation. The Bouchard-Taylor Commission did not provide a long-lasting catharsis, and since it tabled its report, exclusionary discourses have not abated. Although some criticize this doctrine for its casuistry, it rather highlights, the potential of legal strategies revolving around the micro-management of religious diversity.
