Last week’s decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to stop a Quebec city council from praying before its meetings may have consequences for the start of meetings in Estevan.
The Supreme Court ruled ending an eight-year legal case from Quebec in which a resident, displeased with the City of Saguenay’s mayor openly praying to commence council meetings, filed the matter with the courts. Ultimately, Canada’s head justices ruled unanimously that Saguenay could not open council with a prayer, and the court ordered Saguenay to stop prayers at the beginning of council meetings.
Following that decision, other government institutions, like city council in Ottawa, said they would also cease prayers as part of their open meetings.
City council meetings in Estevan have for years commenced with an opening prayer recited by one of the sitting councillors. Mayor Roy Ludwig said last week, after the Supreme Court decision that practice would have to be reviewed prior to the next sitting of council on May 11. The matter may be discussed at that meeting before a final vote or decision is made.
Ludwig said he was disappointed in last week’s decision, considering the traditional role of prayer at Estevan’s city council meetings.
“In light of the Supreme Court decision, we’ll have to discuss it as a council,” said Ludwig. “Personally, I’m disappointed. We’ve done it for my complete tenure. I started in 1994. And I know it was done before then.”
Regarding the prayers at Estevan city council meetings, Ludwig said reciting one is a decision made by each councillor. Some have chosen not to take part, while the other councillors rotate, taking turns to prepare a prayer for each meeting.
“I’ll ask our council what they would like to do, and we’ll go with what the majority opinion is,” said Ludwig.
“I’m not going to speak for council, but the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled this way, we probably should be going with that decision, because obviously, we don’t want to put ourselves, or the City of Estevan, in any legal situation that would end up costing us money,” he added.
Following the court’s decision, the City of Saguenay and its mayor were ordered to pay more than $30,000 in damages and costs to the individual who filed the complaint.
