The Mouvement laïque québécois (MLQ, Quebec Secular Movement), is Quebec's oldest activist organization promoting secularism.

Founded some three decades ago to work for the secularization of public schools, the MLQ's field of activity has widened since then, but the school system remains its major focus.

David Rand has been a council member of the MLQ for the last several years and manages the organization's web site.

In his talk he will briefly present the organization and then concentrate on current major issues, in particular:

[1] the new Ethics and Religious Culture course which since September 2008 is obligatory in all Québec schools at all levels from primary through secondary, and which constitutes a serious violation of "laïcité" despite the misleading blandishments emanating from the Ministry of Education.

[2] the MLQ's efforts to remove religious prayers from municipal council meeting, including successes in Montreal and Laval and positive developments in Saguenay and Trois-Rivières.