Toronto, ON March 30, 2026 – The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), Canada’s only lay organization devoted exclusively to combating anti-Catholic defamation and bringing Church teaching to bear on issues of public debate, is proud to announce that our President and General Counsel, Philip Horgan, recently appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada.
Horgan served as legal counsel for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to intervene in the landmark challenge against Quebec’s secularism law, Bill 21.
Bill 21 strictly prohibits certain government employees, including teachers, police officers, and judges, from wearing religious symbols such as crucifixes while at work.
During the extensive Supreme Court hearings, Horgan powerfully argued that Canada’s Constitution is “pluralist, neutral and pro-religion” and that any “attempt to regulate religion falls within federal jurisdiction”.
Rather than directly challenging the notwithstanding clause, the CCCB’s legal strategy focuses on the constitutional division of powers and the Catholic social teaching principle of subsidiarity.
Horgan argued that fundamental matters of public morals and religion must be allotted to the federal Parliament, as no province was given the power to unilaterally alter Canada’s beliefs about religion.
As highlighted in recent coverage by the Montreal Gazette, the CCCB’s written submission made it clear that Bill 21“turns the expression of religious belief, through the wearing of symbols, into something to be punished”.
Horgan and the CCCB boldly stated to the highest court in the land that “the prohibition of religious symbols manifests an outlook from the provincial government that denies the divine”.
As we enter Holy Week, the CCRL reflects on the profound importance of publicly bearing witness to our faith. The CCRL’s vital work in the courts and the public square is exclusively sustained through the generous donations of our supporters.
We urgently ask for your financial support this Holy Week so that we may continue to defend Catholic teaching and fight anti-Catholic defamation across Canada.
To make a Holy Week donation — Please visit https://ccrl.ca/support/ to contribute securely online.
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We appeal to any of you who are able to send a donation to the CCRL by clicking here or by mailing a cheque to the CCRL at PO Box 84505, RPO Bloor West, Toronto, ON, M6S 4Z7, or by calling the office at (416) 466-8244.
About the CCRL
Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) (www.ccrl.ca) assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, cooperates with other organizations in defending civil rights in Canada, and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs. The CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization with a large nationwide membership base. The CCRL is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.
To donate to the CCRL, please click here.
For further information:
ccrl@ccrl.ca
416-466-8244
@CCRLtweets